It took Housing Hope's dedication to the task of alleviating homelessness, followed by six years of negotiating, financial planning, design-work and construction. Now, in less than two months, homeless and low-income families will begin moving into the Monroe Family Village.
Housing Hope Director of Housing Development Bobby Thompson and Philanthropy Manager Alex Lark led Monroe city officials on a tour of the property last week, including Mayor Geoffrey Thomas, Councilmember Jim Kamp, Executive Assistant Pamela Baker and Monroe Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Una Wirkebau.
Located in Monroe on a 2.36-acre parcel on West Main Street near St. Vincent de Paul, the Monroe Family Village is Housing Hope's largest supportive housing community to date.
"It's roughly a $12 million project,GÇ¥ Thompson said. "It's massive.GÇ¥
The nine-building Monroe Family Village complex will feature 47 two- and three-bedroom condominium-style units oriented towards low-income families with children. The development will also include laundry facilities, classroom and community space, onsite property management, in-home case management, a playground, two community garden areas and a Futsal court, which is sort of a small-scale soccer field.
"No one plays basketball when we put in basketball hoops GÇô which pains me because I'm a basketball guy,GÇ¥ Thompson said. "It just sounded like a great concept so we're going to try it out here and see how it goes.GÇ¥
Meant to instill a sense of sustainability and promote healthy living, the community garden areas will include a number of raised beds, so that residents can grow their own vegetables.
"We've done this at other sites, it's been very successful,GÇ¥ Thompson said. "We'll bring a master gardener in to assist with our residents in that process.GÇ¥
In alliance with its mission of providing a "continuum of safe, decent, affordable housing and necessary related services,GÇ¥ Housing Hope takes a holistic approach by working with families to solve the issue of poverty. In addition to providing low-income families with short- and long-term affordable housing, Housing Hope's College of Hope program offers life skills classes, employment counseling, job readiness training and more.
"That's kind of what sets us apart from a lot of other programs or organizations that help individuals experiencing homelessness,GÇ¥ Lark said. "Is the tailored services that we provide to the families as well.GÇ¥
Housing Hope tries to structure its programming so that they aren't guided by strict time limitations on residency. Since families might be working to overcome addiction issues, generational poverty or domestic violence, having greater flexibility in this area is more conducive to successful self-sufficiency.
"We've tried to secure funding that doesn't limit us in that way because each family's journey is different,GÇ¥ Thompson said. "They come in with their own sets of trauma that they have to overcome.GÇ¥
Out of the 47 units at Monroe Family Village, 24 units will be supported by project-based Section 8 housing choice vouchers, which are funded through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and distributed by the Housing Authority of Snohomish County. Section 8 vouchers allow low income families to pay roughly 30 percent of their adjusted income for rent, while the balance of the market-value rental amount is subsidized through the voucher. The tenant's portion of the rent is based solely on tenant income, with the balance paid by HUD.
Market value rental amounts are determined by the Housing Authority of Snohomish County. Thompson explained that collecting market value rental rates helps them to provide affordable housing to families, while earning the cash flow needed to perform general building maintenance and upkeep. Additionally, the self-sustaining model enables Housing Hope to continually reinvest in its own supportive programming.
The remaining 23 units will be affordable rental units, available on a first come first serve basis.
In order to make up for construction delays, Housing Hope is planning to phase its occupancy by allowing families to move in before the construction is 100 percent complete. The goal is to have a total of 16 units ready for occupancy as of September 1, with the remaining 31 units becoming available on October 15.
A 501C3 nonprofit, Housing Hope operations are dependent on community-based donations which are garnered year-round during various fundraising events. The donations help sustain Housing Hope by enabling them to secure grants and other funding through private and corporate sources. This year's Community of Hope dinner, held in March, was attended by more than 150 guests who helped bring in more than $41,000.
On Monday, Aug. 3, Chef Adam Hoffman of Adam's Northwest Bistro (104 N. Lewis St.) will host the second annual "An Evening at Adam'sGÇ¥ event, which will include a four-course meal and drink pairings. Tickets are $100 per person, and 100-ápercent of the ticket price will go towards supporting Housing Hope operations in east Snohomish County.
Housing Hope works to keep a very low overhead: 88 percent of the organization's expenses are dedicated to programming, while 12 percent of expenses are dedicated to administrative and fundraising costs.
"We're excited that this is the largest project that you've done in Snohomish County, and I know that there's a need GÇô we have a lot of people that are homeless in the area,GÇ¥ said Mayor Thomas. "This is part of the compassion that reflects our community.GÇ¥
To learn more about Housing Hope, please visit: http://www.housinghope.org/#1. To purchase a ticket for An Evening at Adam's, please visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lgZDdajKbbDGRr9ElVd21vhKtFUK-WevDcty-KM-FUM/viewform.
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