2019 Annual Report

So much has changed since we began 2020, and I find it almost surreal to place myself back in 2019. But I am very happy for this opportunity to reflect on what was very real last year - Bellwether was busy building stable communities, providing families with access to opportunity, and giving people a place to call home.

Susan Boyd, CEO

CEO Letter

Susan Boyd, CEO

Writing the introductory letter for our annual report is always an exercise in reflection. We send this report out after our financial statements for the year have been fully audited, which typically doesn’t happen until summer of the following year. So we are always sharing with you the activities and events of a year we left behind several months ago.

This year, it feels less like a reflection and more like the retelling of a dream.

I feel happy when I wake up. It’s a weight off the shoulders to have the ability to save money and be able to actually live your life again.

Diana, resident

Pictured here with Anuar and Kita the pup in their apartment at The Parker.

A Shared Future in Queen Anne

Anuar & Diana's Story

When Anuar and Diana decided to move in together, finding a home wasn’t easy. They needed an apartment close to downtown, with enough space for the couple and Diana’s young son Julian, near good schools, transportation, and parks. It also had to be affordable on Anuar’s salary as a baker. *

After several months of searching, they found the perfect two-bedroom apartment at The Parker Apartments in the Queen Anne neighborhood.

May 2019

Bellwether Wins Construction Awards

Anchor Flats Won an ABC Merit Award

Arbora Court won a PCBC Gold Nugget Award

The Cambridge renovation won the ABC Eagle of Excellence Award and the ABC Excellence in Construction Award

Fanose and her children; having fun in the hallways; the community room at Arbora Court.

Growing Homes

A Year Later at Anchor Flats and Arbora Court

In 2018, Bellwether opened Arbora Court, in the University District, and Anchor Flats, in South Lake Union. Both buildings have great access to transit, neighborhood amenities, schools, and job centers. But our vision went beyond creating 200 new homes in great locations. We envisioned residents weaving into neighborhood life and building community. During 2019, this goal came to life as residents settled into their new homes.

The roof deck at Anchor Flats has been transformed into a lush garden, pictured below.

May 2019

Putt Putt

Our 3rd Annual Putt Putt featured clever costumes, mini golf, and tasty beer from four Ballard breweries.

Thanks to our amazing Putt Putt teams and breweries, we raised $1,960 to support our Resident Services Coordination Program!

June 2019

Building Opportunity Launch

200 guests joined us at the Amazon Spheres to kick off the Building Opportunity Campaign. Guests learned how to invest in affordable housing. We ended the night with $2.4M pledged.

Building Opportunity Reaches Goals

Capital Campaign

In 2019, Bellwether Housing launched the Building Opportunity, a campaign to raise $9M to build 750 new apartments through donations, grants, and impact investments.

The campaign, which was originally set to span three years, hit several milestones this year.

August 2019

REEL

At Real Estate Emerging Leaders (REEL), industry professionals joined us for a lively happy hour.

In partnership with Puget Sound’s leading commercial real estate organizations, the event raised over $16,000 for Bellwether!

Bellwether Entrusted with Two Buildings

UCHA transferred Mary's Boathouse and Sortun Court to Bellwether

With staff and board retiring, University Congregational Housing Association (UCHA), an affordable housing operator, chose to dissolve their nonprofit. UCHA wanted to entrust their mission and legacy of providing affordable housing. That’s why they transferred two properties to Bellwether Housing. Sortun Court and Mary’s Boat House are small affordable apartment buildings, mostly with larger family-sized two and three-bedroom apartments. Bellwether is honored to assume ownership of these buildings and continue to steward them.

October 2019

Closer to Home

Our largest and most successful event yet, the 9th annual Closer to Home Luncheon welcomed over 700 supporters and raised $430K.

Nikole Hannah-Jones delivered a powerful speech in which she challenged us to confront and address segregation in Seattle:

"White people created segregation, have maintained it, and have to undo it."

2019 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work

Actions & Accountability

In 2019, we continued our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work, with a focus on anti-racism. Our 2019 initiatives included:

Recruitment and Compensation

We started listing salary ranges for every job we post to increase gender and racial pay parity.
We stopped asking for and using pay history as the basis for salary offers. By using this practice in the past, we perpetuated pay disparity for people of color, women and people with disabilities. We stopped asking for salary history in 2019 and we corrected compensation disparities in 2020.

November 2019

Ballard Brewed

500 beer lovers packed Hale’s Palladium to support affordable housing.

Friends and neighbors enjoyed donated beer from ten Ballard breweries, listened to live music, and raised over $16,700 for Bellwether!

2019 Financials

Bellwether_2019AnnualReport_PieCharts_v2

Thank You to Our 2019 Supporters!

Corporate and Foundation Support

$30,000 to $99,999

Enterprise Community Partners Seattle Foundation Turner Construction Washington Federal Foundation Bank

$10,000 to $29,999

MUFG Union Bank Foundation Umpqua Bank US Bank Foundation Walsh Construction Company

$5,000 to $9,999

Foss Family Foundation Goodman Real Estate Holland Partner Group JPMorgan Chase & Co. MUFG Union Bank The Family Home Foundation U.S. Bank Urban Renaissance Group Zillow

$1,500 to $4,999

AFB Floors Alaska Airlines ARC Architects ArchEcology Banner Bank BECU Beneficial State Bank Benevity Clark Construction Core Design Coughlin Porter Lundeen DCI Engineers EDCA Roofing, Inc. Encore Architects PLLC Falkin Associates GeoTech Consultants, Inc Google Matching Gifts Program Guardian Security Systems, Inc. Heartland LLC HEWITT Seattle Kantor Taylor PC KeyBank Kidder Mathews MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions Marpac Construction Morgan Mechanical National Equity Fund Nitze-Stagen & Co., Inc. Novogradac Pacific Building Services Inc. Pacifica Law Group Pastakia + Associates Plymouth Housing Puckett & Redford PLLC Rafn Company Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Runberg Architecture Group, PLLC Rushing Co Shift-Results SMR Architects Sprague Pest Solutions The Commerce Bank Of Washington Foundation ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas Unico Properties, Inc. VIA Architecture Weber Thompson Yardi

$500 to $1,499

Ballard Beer Company Ballard NeighborHub at Columbia Bank Connectivity Wireless Solutions Copiers NW Costigan Integrated Ecotope, Inc. Evolution Architecture FitechGelb G.L.Y. Construction Gateway Construction HarBro Housing Development Consortium of Seattle/King County Kinzer Partners Microsoft Outlook Exterior Maintenance Plantscapes, Inc. Resicon Swenson Say Faget USI Insurance Services

$100,000 to $999,999

Amazon Bank of America Joshua Green Foundation Wells Fargo

$1,000,000+

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Individual Donors

$100,000+

J. Peter Shapiro

$10,000 to $99,999

Courtney Jolicoeur Marlan Kay Peter Larsen Peter Miller and Jean Johnson MA Tucker Paul Weiden

$5,000 to $9,999

Mary Allen John and Maria Bliss Andrew Cox Sheri Flies Deva and Orin Hasson Terry Miller Alice Shobe and Eric Svaren Marni and Charles Wright

$2,500 to $4,999

Jeff Bernard Gabriel Grant and Allegra Calder Duane Leonard Diane and Nicholas Lovejoy Dana and Harry Matsumoto Dylan Simon

$1,000 to $2,499

Kristin Acker Jerrid Anderson Virginia Anderson Rebekah Bastian Amy Besunder Dhiraj and Agni Bhatt Frank Bosl Susan Boyd David and Dawn Bozeman Heather Bunn Bart Cima and Micki Brunner Steve Clagett and Jennifer Parker Shelly Crocker Rebecca Dale Carlos De Vincenzo Ryan Deal Cheryl DeBoise Philip and Lenore Defliese Barbara Dingfield Lori Dorn Meredith Dorrance and Ken Lederman David Enslow Scott Falkin Peter Goldman Alicia Goodwin and Ryan Kuykendall Maniketh Gopikrishnan Alexandra Harmon Kevin Harrang Michael Hill Suzanne Hittman Jilma Jimenez Christine Langowski Richard Loo Elise Lufkin Todd MacDermid Brad Minogue Peter and Lisa Nitze Yeunbee Park Tom and Michele Parsons Brian Pavlovec John Phillips Daniel Rausch Andrea Sato Kristen and Glen Scott Susan Selman Steve Seward Geoffrey Smith Michael Sweeney C David Taylor John Teutsch Michele Wang Robert Wilson David Zapolsky and Lynn Hubbard

$500 to $999

Ryan Ames Steven Armato Mark and Heather Barbieri Julia Beabout David Beitel Fraser and Deirdre Black Mindy and Don Black Jill Blegen Curtis Bray Deborah Burkart Becky and Jim Burns Heather Burns Deanna Calef Elizabeth Canizales Nick Carter Sai Chaleunphonh Suresh Chanmugam Alexis Chartouni Cameron Cohen Sharon Coleman Mark Craig Anthony Daguanno Taryn Marie Darling Robert Davis David Delfs Chuck Depew Jill Domanico Chris Duvall Kathy Feldman Joe Ferguson Katheryn Frierson Norma Fuentes Bobbi Geiger Lindsey Gilbert Jonathan Gill Martin Gleaves James Goldsmith Marty Goodman Christopher Graving Mark Gray Jason Gurney Lisa Gutierrez Jacqueline Hansen Cleita Harvey Jonathan Heller Cheryl Houser Alex Hudson Gerald Johnson Maryellen Johnson Kathleen Joncas Robert Jungerhans Judy Kelley Diana Keys Duane King Gary Kirk Keiko Koizumi Scott Koppelman Charles Korb Dean Kralios and Scot Partlow Chris Lamb Tory Laughlin Taylor Gregory Leddy Thomas Lewallen Betsy Lieberman David Limp Jeff Lundstrom Rebecca Lyman Emily Mannetti Hana Meglic Robin Mendelson Lisa and John Merrill Jessica and Nathan Moch Richard Moore Ian Morrison Simon Ngu Lakshmi Nidamarthi Larry Numata Henry Okafor Peter and Laura Orser Tejal Pastakia Thomas Pehl Ethan Phelps-Goodman Indresen Pillay Andrew Porrini Philip Porter Julie Prince Gary Prince and Meg Goldman Kim Rachmeler Diana Birkett-Rakow and Jeffrey Rakow Mark Reddington and Cary Moon David Reddy Steve Reents Jeff Reibman Meghan Reibstein James Reinhardsen Christopher Roberts Philip Roberts Dina Robinson Reed Rushing Jeff Samdal John Santa Lucia John Schoettler Daniel Seger Alexis Shoemaker Amitabh Singh Heather Smedstad Rhonda Smith and Mario Banchero Tony Souther Robert and Kathleen Spritzer Marc Stiles Rebecca Stum Jillian Rae Sullivan Eric Swanson Aaron Thomson Scott Tinker AL Tintle Daniel Tuttle Blaine and Jo VanDerSnick Spencer Visick and Donna Chavis Troy Wallin Stuart and Lucy Williams Peggy Willingham Cynthia Wilson Guyanna Young