homeownership

Homeownership Builds Community

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Homeownership is about so much more than a simple roof over one’s head. It’s also about community, which means finding a neighborhood that feels like home. 

For Shukri Yusuf, who arrived in the Seattle area from Mombasa, Kenya at 12, West Seattle has been home since 2004. Over the years, Shukri got married there, had a son, and became a single mother in 2020. She remained in West Seattle throughout where she teaches in a neighborhood public school, living with her parents as she saved for a down payment on her own home. 

The more she saved, though, and looked around Seattle for housing, the more she realized she was severely out-priced. She feared she would have to leave West Seattle, or even the state, if she was to find an affordable house for herself and son, Zayn. The idea of leaving her beloved neighborhood for a house she could afford in a place where she knew no one was a poor option and one she dreaded.

Shukri explored any and all possibilities in her search for a way to remain in the community and still have a home of her own. She considered getting a down payment grant for a condo, even though getting a condo anywhere close to her beloved West Seattle neighborhood was impossible. As she searched, she learned about Habitat for Humanity through the King County homeowner assistance website. With help from Habitat, she was able to purchase a newly constructed, three-bedroom home in West Seattle – the first home she’s ever owned.

Shukri and Zayn now live in their own home in the neighborhood they call Home. It’s just five minutes from the school where Shukri teaches. Zayn is growing up in a supportive community where he’ll have maximum opportunities to thrive. For Shukri, this means planting roots and growing herself in a safe place with friends and family to share life’s ups and downs. As she says, Shukri is finally Home.

“When you have a community that you connect with it can offer you support in all of life’s phases. I feel a part of the community that I have called home since 2004 and I feel supported through some of the tough times that I have experienced in the past … I see it as my duty to help and support others that need help in my school community.”

More than a house, a home of one’s own builds Community through a sense of belonging and pride in the neighborhood called Home. It’s a hidden legacy that comes with help from Habitat for Humanity.

AT&T Donates $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity SKC After Completing Monthlong Employee Volunteer Effort

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AT&T presented a contribution of $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County on Wednesday, September 28 as 18 local AT&T employee volunteers worked with future residents to build housing at Highland Terrace in the Delridge neighborhood of Seattle. The six permanently affordable homes at Highland Terrace are expected to be ready in the summer of 2023.  The project will offer families earning less than 80% of Area Media Income two and three-bedroom units with easy access to nearby parks, schools, and transit. 

“We are delighted that AT&T has chosen to partner with Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County on its month-long volunteer effort and are very grateful for the donation,” said Brett D’Antonio, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties. “It will take private, public, and non-profit sectors coming together to address our region’s housing affordability crisis and AT&T has proven to be a leader in the effort.”

The monthlong employee volunteer effort is a part of the AT&T Believes Washington initiative.  AT&T Believes is a company-wide, localized effort to combine employees’ passions and volunteerism with AT&T’s resources and relationships. 30 area AT&T employees volunteered with Habitat for Humanity of Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties on four different dates and locations in September, including at Highland Terrace, the North Bend Tyler Town construction site, and the Habitat for Humanity Stores in Bellevue and Southcenter. 

“AT&T employees jumped at the chance to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Seattle-King and Kittitas Counties,” said Carl Gipson, State President, AT&T Washington.  “These homes will be a source of security and peace of mind for their owners.  It was uplifting for our volunteers to work side-by-side with families to help build their future home.”

Habitat for Humanity Seattle–King & Kittitas Counties focuses its mission on building, repairing, and preserving permanently affordable housing and believes everyone deserves a decent, safe, and affordable place to live. With a current pipeline of 270+ homes in various phases of planning and construction, Habitat SKC is on track to surpass its ambitious goal of building and selling 1,000 cumulative housing solutions to low-income community members by 2025.

If your company would like to make a contribution and/or is interested in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity SKC, please contact Angela Appleton at angela.appleton@habitatskc.org

2023 Legislative Agenda

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The lack of affordable housing and affordable homeownership opportunities continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing Washington today. We’re working to make sure that housing choices are a priority in the 2023 legislature.

Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties strongly believes in a world where EVERYBODY has access to a safe, affordable and decent place to live — and with our agendas, we’re working tirelessly to make that a reality.

End Exclusionary Zoning

Washington State has a long and sordid history with exclusionary zoning. The use of race-based restrictions and redlining maps keeps Black, Indigenous, and people of color out of neighborhoods that were predominantly White, limits the affordability of housing and restricts the amount of homes available to these marginalized groups. Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties calls on the legislature to look to the examples of Oregon and Walla Walla and end the practice of exclusionary zoning in Washington State.

Increase Black Homeownership

The lowest homeownership rate of any racial or ethnic group in the United States is that of Black people – currently, the average Black family in Seattle is 33% less likely to own their own home than a white family. The policies in place at the local, state, and federal governments have prohibited households of color from having equal access to homeownership, mortgage financing, neighborhood development, and many other possibilities, all of which are made easily available to White households. Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties urges the state legislature to eliminate the systematic bias that pervades American home financing, home buying, and exclusionary zoning regulations, which has kept generations of Black families from becoming homeowners.

Support Permanently Affordable Homeownership

While we drastically need more investment in affordable housing across the board, we also need to make deliberate investments in permanently affordable homeownership here in Washington State. The reality is the disparity between Washington State’s support for rental, shelter, and supportive services housing and Washington’s support for homeownership is roughly 20 to 1 in favor of rentals, shelter, and supportive services. That is a massive racial and economic equity issue, because it ensures developers build only rentals in communities of color, denying families opportunities to become homeowners and build equity. We at Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties strongly support the creation of new avenues of support for permanently affordable homeownership, because we need long term solutions to address this crisis.

Breaking Ground at Stuart Meadows in Ellensburg

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On Thursday, September 15, 2022. Kittitas County Habitat for Humanity celebrated the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Stuart Meadows, its upcoming 18-home affordable housing neighborhood in Ellensburg.

Homeowners, Habitat staff, State representatives, and City Officials spoke about the project, what it means for our families and the community, and the need to continue to build affordable housing for Kittitas County.

“As I stood there overlooking the Stuart Mountain range dreaming of the future, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of hope for the families of Stuart Meadows,” said Kelle Vandenberg, Area Director, Kittitas County Habitat for Humanity. “We have spent the last year and a half in permitting, planning, and collaboration, but on that Thursday, with the sun shining and blue skies, we spent our time together just celebrating.”

With the civil work well underway and the first six families selected, vertical construction is expected to begin in October and will continue throughout the seasons. The homes will be built in three phases with the first six homes to be complete by fall 2023. The entire 18 homes to be finished by fall of 2025.

There is much to do and plenty of opportunity to help build these homes.