This past weekend, Habitat SKKC staff, volunteers, and community members gathered on a sunny day to celebrate the new homeowners who will soon move into the Olympic Ridge building. It was a quiet morning in Seattle’s usually bustling Capitol Hill neighborhood, but the crowd that formed on the closed down residential street buzzed with energy and excitement for the opportunity to cheer on the newest Habitat homeowners.
The Rev. Terry Kyllo opened the program with the invocation. Rev. Kyllo is a Lutheran Christian pastor and Executive Director of Paths to Understanding, a nonprofit with a mission is to bridge bias and build unity through multi-faith peacemaking. He began his speech by reminding attendees of the Indigenous people who are stewards of this land, people who have “found homes here for over 20,000 years.”
Rev. Kyllo recognized the staff, volunteers, and even the providers of the materials and tools that made the Olympic Ridge building possible.
“Today is the culmination of many dreams,” he said as he looked out at the eager faces of the new homeowners.
Habitat SKKC CEO Brett D’Antonio took the stage next, using his opportunity in front of the crowd to congratulate the Olympic Ridge residents on the relationships they’ve started forming with each other: “Everyone moving into Olympic Ridge has already begun building a sense of community within Habitat and, more importantly, with each other as neighbors. You have volunteered in Habitat Stores, traveled to Olympia to advocate for affordable homeownership, and gathered with each other at Habitat-sponsored social events. The next steps are yours to choose, and we trust that those bonds will continue to grow. You are more than neighbors; you’re a community.”
The day’s program welcomed two special guests from Habitat SKKC’s network. In her address, Maiko Winkler-Chin, Director of the Seattle Office of Housing, reminded the crowd that, “Olympic Ridge shows what’s possible when we invest in affordable homeownership.”
Winkler-Chin, who praised the immediate sense of community that Olympic Ridge will bring to Capitol Hill, went on to add that, “homeownership is about creating stability and a sense of belonging.” As homeowners in the audience smiled and waved hello to each other, it was evident that her words rang true to their homebuying experiences.
Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck stepped onto the stage next and marveled at her commute to the day’s festivities—living in the neighborhood, she only had to walk a few blocks to make it! As a newly elected official (she was sworn in on December 3, 2024), Mercedes Rinck credited Olympic Ridge and projects like it as one of the reasons she ran for city council.
A renter herself, Mercedes Rinck emphasized that, “Housing is a fundamental right, not a privilege.”
Next up to the stage was one of the new residents of Olympic Ridge, Sarah D. Along with her wife, Mayan P., Sarah was a transplant to Seattle who fell in love with the city but feared she would never be able to stay for the long term. Habitat SKKC made it possible for them to envision and realize their dream of homeownership.
When Mayan joined Sarah onstage to accept their homeowner certificate, they added, “It took community, time, and resources to make this project come together.”
Mayan, Sarah, and the other homeowners each took their turn coming onto the stage to accept their certificates and encouraging applause from the audience. Once the presentation of certificates concluded, Rev. Kyllo returned to the podium to lead the crowd in a blessing of the homes.
With outstretched hands, the community gathered to collectively dedicate the home to the new residents. Following the conclusion of the formal program, attendees were invited to tour the units and mingle with each other. The mood was festive and uplifting, a good reminder to all who give their time and resources to Habitat SKKC—whether as staff, volunteers, or donors—that the homeowners are the reason and outcome of this work.
Amidst the celebrations, new Olympic Ridge homeowner Drew L. reflected, “I’ve been looking for places for a year, and I was giving up hope. It’s very exciting to be moving in here.”
Drew, who has many friends already living on Capitol Hill, looks forward to having a patio and outside space to host them. The access to the outdoors right from Drew’s backdoor might seem small, but to a first-time homeowner it represents one of the many ways to make a house feel like a home.
Welcome home to all the new residents of Olympic Ridge.