housing

Habitat Repairs Bring Health and Safety to a Federal Way Couple

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Love brought Annama Joseph to the United States from India 34 years ago.  She came here to marry Varghese, a U.S. veteran and fellow Indian immigrant.  They lived happily in their Federal Way home for 20 years and raised two daughters there.  But, as their fortunes changed, they struggled financially.  

Annama was seriously injured in her job as a nursing assistant when a violent patient kicked her in the face and neck.  The injuries were so severe, she was rendered unable to work and has been receiving a disability pension since 2015.  At about the same time, her husband Varghese was declared disabled due to a neurological disorder.  Their income plummeted, making home maintenance a low priority.

For years they had undetectable leaks in their bathroom that caused mold to grow in the house.  Both Annama and Vhalise suffered regular respiratory illnesses.  In addition, the insulation in their attic and crawlspace had disintegrated causing their utility bills to be extraordinarily high. Despite assessments by several professionals, the sources of their problems were not detected until a Habitat repairs crew got inside their home.

“In about one month,” Annama says, “the Habitat people finished all the repairs.”

The couple received a completely new bathroom, including added grab bars and a new shower door.  The mold was eradicated, and so were their respiratory problems.  Outside, the crew replaced the corroded gutters and the rotting deck. 

Insulation was added to the attic and crawlspace, too.  “Our utility bill is 50% lower now than it was before the repairs,” Annama declares. She adds that the bill has remained low through the winter, even though her pain requires extra warmth. “My disability is progressing, so it’s important that I stay warm.”

She raves about the Habitat crew. “They did a very, very good job. And they are very nice people. They helped us so much. They are great people, all very special in my life.”

If you know someone in need of critical repairs in your community, please visit: Home Repairs – Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties (habitatskc.org)

2024 Beyond the Build Breaks Records

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This year’s Beyond the Build Luncheon was beyond successful, thanks to the 1,400 plus attendees who donated more than $2 Million to tackle the affordable housing crisis in our region. And thanks to our special guest Seahawks Legend, Bobby Wagner. Not only did Bobby charm and entertain the many fans in attendance but set the philanthropy bar high with his own outstanding giving record. 

Each dollar raised at the luncheon will go directly toward funding vital housing, creating tangible and lasting change in the lives of those we serve. Luncheon attendees learned firsthand from Habitat homeowners and home repairs recipients just how powerful a stable home can be. These include stories of how careers were made possible and educational goals were achieved, how improved living situations resulted in better health outcomes, and how families were made whole for generations.

Luminaries from the Habitat SKKC community shared the stage with Bobby as they were recognized for their outsized feats in support of our mission to provide affordable housing for everyone. 

Habitat’s Community Leader of the Year honoree, Amazon, was recognized for their commitment and support of affordable housing in our region. Mike O’Leary was recognized as our Volunteer of the Year, Linda Hoffner as our Resource Development Volunteer of the Year, LeChelle Lucas as our Advocacy Volunteer of the Year, Mikhail Popko Nikolayovich as our Repairs Volunteer of the Year, and Lorraine Yerger as our Manny Weiser Volunteer Service Award Recipient. 

This year’s Habitat SKKC Beyond the Build luncheon brought new committed donors and fresh energy to every element of our battle to assure that everyone has a safe place to live.  

Click here for event photos 

Click here to watch Habitat’s Community Impact video.

Washington Legislature’s Short Session Sweet for Affordable Housing

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Washington’s short 2024 legislative session flew by and closed with some significant wins for affordable housing. As Advocacy Organizer Ethan Robinson suggests, “This session has been characterized by significant victories and promising developments, but it has also underscored the pressing need for bolder action to tackle housing insecurity in our communities.”

  • Habitat’s Advocacy team worked with legislators to pass a bill that added $18.25M to the Federal Housing Trust Fund (HTF) for Washington State.  That additional HUD funding – formerly at zero in the Governor’s budget – will provide  grants to produce and preserve affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households. 
  • In a direct allocation to Habitat for Humanity SKKC, legislators added $6M to the State’s budget for Habitat’s 5022 MLK development, the world’s largest single-building Habitat for Humanity project.
  • Legislators added funding to the budget that will implement the Black Home Initiative’s (BHI) top priority, funding the implementation of the Covenant Homeownership Account Program. Habitat advocates partnered with BHI to promote passage of this funding proviso that will work to address generations of discrimination that continues to have  long-lasting impacts on Black families to this very day.
  • With the passage of HB 2071, Habitat and other housing developers will be freed from stringent commercial zoning to add housing density with multiplex projects. The bill allows 6-plexes and below to be built to international residential code. This makes multiplex construction less costly because residential code is cheaper and easier to meet than commercial code.
  • HB 1998 legalized what is dubbed “Co-Living.” This is an opening to build micro unit apartments, another step toward providing shelter for very low-income people. 
  • Legislators exempted developers from a sales and use tax when they  want to convert commercial properties to residential properties. While SB 6175 doesn’t directly affect Habitat construction, it does set a precedent for a future comprehensive sales and use tax exemption that will reduce Habitat’s construction costs.  
  • In smaller moves, legislators opened new local funding paths for affordable housing like SB 6173, which allows counties to increase their tax exemptions on affordable housing projects from those serving homeowners below 60% of AMI to those below 80% of AMI.  And HB 1987 allows rural counties to use existing “public facilities sales and use taxes” to fund affordable housing projects up to 120% AMI.

Habitat’s Advocacy Team is already planning for the 2025 legislative session when they’ll take aim again at a comprehensive sales and use tax exemption for affordable housing.  And they will lobby for a revolving construction loan to help fund the production of affordable homeownership projects. 

This year’s legislative victories demonstrated lawmakers’ increasing sense of urgency for solving the housing crisis in our State.  And, as Ethan Robinson says, “We must keep pressure on our cities and counties, who are still in their comprehensive planning phases, to prioritize housing solutions and support increased capacity across the housing continuum.”

You can help by signing up for Habitat Action Alerts: Click here.

The Columbian: Washington House passes transit-oriented housing bill

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House Bill 2160, promoting transit-oriented housing developments, passed with a floor vote of 56 to 40 during a Feb. 13 floor debate. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle, moved on to the Senate for further consideration.

The bill requires cities in fully planning counties to conform to certain requirements and limitations for housing near transit systems.

Our own Chief Advocacy Officer, Ryan Donohue, testified during the public hearing.

“We’re here in strong support of HB 2160, because we need more homes in more places, especially along our transit corridors,” he said. “Housing near transit centers is key to many housing options and to better housing options, especially for low-income families.”

To read the full story from the Columbian click here.

Habitat SKKC makes a splash in the other Washington for Habitat on the Hill 2024 

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Habitat for Humanity’s Habitat on the Hill 2024 kicked off Feb. 5 as a celebration of the Cost of Home Campaign’s successful five-year run. This is Habitat’s biggest advocacy event of the year, and our affiliate was proudly represented by our CEO Brett D’Antonio, Chief Development Officer, Amy Farrier, and two of our three Advocacy Team members, Chief Advocacy Officer, Ryan Donohue, and Advocacy and Policy Manager, Cliff Cawthon.

This year Habitat on the Hill included more than 400 attendees who converged on Washington D.C. to advocate for affordable homeownership and policies that support the entire housing continuum. The halls of the House of Representatives and the Senate buildings were flooded by Habitat advocates. Our Seattle-King & Kittitas County staff members were particularly active in meeting with the staff members of Representatives Jayapal, Smith, DelBene, Schrier, and Senators Murray and Cantwell. We shared stories about homeowners and repair recipients whose lives were changed by Habitat. 

Habitat’s national priorities were headlined by H.R. 3940/ S. 679, the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, which is a major bipartisan piece of legislation that will create the first Federal Tax credit to support affordable homeownership by covering the first 35 percent of development costs for home construction and its services projects which are priced at 80 percent of the national median housing price. This tax credit will significantly reduce the cost of building affordable homes for families in need. 

Habitat is also advocating for key investments in local projects, such as our new Columbia City developments in Seattle, our Miller’s Crossing development in Burien, and Stuart Meadows in Ellensburg! We teamed up with advocates from Habitat for Humanity International to advocate for national investments in affordable housing through the Self-Help Housing Opportunity Program (SHOP), the Home Improvement Program (HOME), and the US Department of Agriculture’s 502 Direct Loan Program. These key investments will accelerate the work that our affiliate and others in Washington State and throughout the country do every single day. 

Our delegation made a significant splash as we shared our noteworthy 2023 legislative victory with the Washington State Covenant Homeownership Account Act, presented by our Advocacy and Policy Manager, Cliff Cawthon. It was a first-in-the-nation achievement that will provide downpayment assistance and support for Washingtonians who were discriminated against in the housing market. We also had our new Advocate Training Program featured at the poster exhibit. Our new Advocate Training program trains homeowners, advocates, and repair clients on how to advocate for affordable housing and homeownership.

In our Washington, the work continues! To learn more about our Statewide advocacy and Local-County advocacy click here. Be sure to join our ongoing advocacy campaigns and support affordable housing by visiting our Action Center here. Together, we can build a world where everyone has a safe, decent, and affordable place to live!