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Bellwether Housing flexed its advocacy muscles earlier this month when we turned out nearly 20 staff members, board members, and residents to Washington State Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day in Olympia. The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA) brought together hundreds of housing advocates from across the state to make our presence and policy agenda known on at the State Capitol. Bellwether Housing attendees met with their districts’ legislators to share stories of why affordable housing matters and what bills we want to see made into law to ensure that all Washingtonians have a safe and affordable home. The day also included workshops to hone our advocacy skills and a rally on the Capitol steps during which hundreds of voices joined together to call for ending homelessness and housing all Washingtonians. Bellwether Housing has stayed active in advocacy recently by turning out staff and board members to hearings to speak in favor of developing affordable homes on surplus land in Fort Lawton and to support Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability Program. Want to get involved in housing advocacy yourself? To start taking action, visit the websites of our partners the Housing Development Consortium and WLIHA. #advocacy #Olympia #AffordableHousing

In neighborhoods as diverse as First Hill, Roosevelt, and Wallingford, residents are banding together to voice their concerns about development - but it’s not what you might think. These community members aren’t arguing about the scale and height of new buildings or the loss of neighborhood character. These neighbors are coming together to advocate for Seattle’s future - and it’s a denser one with ample affordable housing. Roosevelt and First Hill saw a tremendous opportunity when the Sound Transit board made surplus land it owned in those neighborhoods available for affordable housing development. The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association (RNA) wanted to ensure that the community’s values influenced how Sound Transit selected the developers of the surplus land near the forthcoming Roosevelt Light Rail Station. Under the guidance of its Land Use Chair, Jay Lazerwitz, the RNA secured a grant to do a thorough community outreach process that included public meetings and focus groups. Out of that engagement came a set of Community Principles. “We really wanted 100% affordable housing. We wanted family units. We wanted public spaces, daycare, different uses. Those all got put in the Community Principles, which I think are amazing,” Lazerwitz said. Roosevelt’s Community Principles are deeply reflected in Bellwether Housing and Mercy Housing Northwest’s winning proposal for the site, which will build 245 apartments affordable to people making below 60% of the Area Median Income. 103 of the units are two or three bedroom apartments. The ground floor will offer retail space, a Sound Child Care Solutions affordable, bilingual daycare, and a public plaza. Scott Cooper, President of the RNA, asserts that the input of his community was taken seriously by Sound Transit and thoroughly incorporated into the selection process for the developer of the site. “It never felt like there was lip service. It felt like there was honest inclusion,” Cooper said. Neighbors on First Hill, Seattle’s densest neighborhood, joined together in a similar visioning process for the Sound Transit parcel in their neighborhood. Alex Hudson, Executive Director of the First Hill Improvement Association, sums up the values that emerged from their community meetings. “Our organization, and myself personally, are extremely dedicated to access and to sharing this place with everyone,” Hudson said. “I truly, truly believe in the bottom of my heart that it is our moral obligation to ensure that investments that are made in creating a beautiful and functional neighborhood ought to be shared by the greatest number of people possible.” Today, First Hill residents see their Community Priorities manifested in Bellwether Housing and Plymouth Housing Group’s joint development plan for the Madison/Boylston project. The two organizations will build the first affordable housing high rise in Seattle in 50 years. Its 13 stories will create 111 affordable homes for formerly homeless seniors operated by Plymouth and 197 affordable homes for families and individuals operated by Bellwether. The building will also feature ground floor retail, a community meeting room, and supportive services for residents. Neighborhood advocacy helped ensure economic diversity among the new neighbors expected to grow First Hill’s population by 68% over the next five years. In Wallingford, deep differences of opinion about the merits of the City of Seattle’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) have welled up over the past few years. One side worries that HALA’s rezones in Wallingford’s urban village will destroy historic character, tree canopy, and naturally occurring affordable housing. Other residents support re-zoning parts of Wallingford to allow for greater density and a wider variety of housing options – rights developers will get in exchange for either building affordable units into their buildings or paying a fee that will support affordable housing developments citywide. In early 2017, the group Welcoming Wallingford formed with a mission of fostering a productive dialogue about the future of the neighborhood, making space for more people tell their stories and share their perspectives, and working together to build a stronger and more welcoming community. Jessica Westgren, a Welcoming Wallingford member who rents in the neighborhood, describes how her group’s education and advocacy missions blend together. “We always try to send a representative to any public testimony or speaking moment when we can let people know that Wallingford is not comprised of the single sided conversation you generally hear from newspapers. We feel that the more we let people know that we exist, and that we are for affordable housing and we are for density changes, then maybe people who are in the grey area will come and talk to us,” Westgren said. Conversations about affordable housing and density are not merely conversations about what gets built in a neighborhood. They are conversations about who can live in a neighborhood and who feels welcomed in a neighborhood, explains Ben Anderson, a Welcoming Wallingford member who owns a home in the neighborhood. “A welcoming community means that you’re accepting of people from different walks of life,” Anderson said. “If you only have million dollar homes on your street, your community is welcoming to people who can afford a million-dollar home. Having all kinds of housing for people at different points of life and different income levels is a requirement [for an inclusive community]. It’s about recognizing that neighborhoods are made up of people, not buildings.” Hudson sums up the shift in mindset that is motivating people to come to terms with growth and advocate that their neighborhoods include homes for people from all walks of life and income levels. “Not only is there a great understanding of the need, there is an understanding that there is plenty here to share, and there are people who really believe that they have a responsibility and an obligation to not pull that ladder up behind them in terms of access to opportunities,” Hudson said. #affordablehousing #density #HALA #MHA #Seattle #Wallingford #FirstHill #Roosevelt #SoundTransit #advocacy

Helping Bellwether Housing residents achieve housing stability, live with independence, and stay in good health is a job that requires compassion, adaptability, and creativity. It’s a job that Lead Resident Services Coordinator (RSC) Samantha Hill excels at. Samantha has worked as an RSC at Bellwether’s Security House, a building for low-income seniors in Belltown, since fall 2013. She describes some of her job as “performing granddaughter tasks” - helping residents without a close-knit support network with the small things that a family member or friend would typically do. She will help residents figure out a bus route, sort out confusing medical bills, and complete paperwork for public benefits like Medicare and food stamps. Samantha finds that by learning about residents’ pasts, families, and interests she is better prepared to help them when they go through a rough patch or face tough decisions that come with aging. Samantha assists residents with everything from ensuring they have the right level of caregiving after returning home from a hospital stay to finding resources to help them modify their homes and daily routines to be safer as they age. “Our services in Seattle are vast, however, they are constantly changing due to funding and man-power,” Samantha said. As a result, much of Samantha’s job revolves around identifying community resources useful to residents and then connecting residents to the services that can help them. It’s an important function since navigating the social service system can be a daunting task for residents, especially for those with limited English proficiency and other barriers. Samantha not only links residents to resources out in the community. She brings them right to Security House. For example, Samantha was instrumental in bringing onsite medication management coaching with Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group to Bellwether’s senior buildings. This program offers residents monthly guidance in how to safely and most effectively take and store their medicines. Over the last year, RSC's have helped residents nearly 1,600 times. You can learn more about the program, hear from Samantha and meet some Bellwether Housing residents in this short video. #affordablehousing #seniors #ResidentServicesCoordinator #aging #socialservices

Bellwether Housing is pleased to announce the addition of Pete Miller to our Board of Directors. Pete was born and raised in Seattle and attended Roosevelt High School. He obtained his undergrad degree and law degree from the University of Washington. Following law school, Pete worked as a litigation attorney at the Seattle law firm of Bogle and Gates and as a transactions/Human Resources attorney at Microsoft. After leaving Microsoft, Pete spent his time on real estate/businesses investments, non-profit board work and philanthropy. In 2005, Pete (and partners) purchased The Essential Baking Company where he still serves as Chairman. Over the past few years, Pete has become active in the local social impact investor community as a founding member of the Seattle Impact Investor Group and current Chairman of the Impact HUB Seattle. Pete and his wife also work to promote a local sustainable and equitable food system as investors, philanthropists and policy advocates. Pete also spends time mentoring and meeting with the next generation of social impact investors/business owners. When asked what inspired him to join the board, Pete explained “I joined in order to do my part to help Seattle retain a diverse community of citizens. Given escalating housing costs, we are fast approaching the point where teachers; police/firefighters; retail, food and restaurant workers; seniors; and many others are unable to afford to live in Seattle. That would be a huge irreparable loss to our City.” Pete also enjoys all the usual outdoor Pacific Northwest activities (e.g. hiking, skiing) and still competes as an elite (age group) level cyclist.

Bellwether Housing is thrilled to share news that the Sound Transit Board authorized their staff to begin negotiations to transfer two parcels of surplus land at zero-cost for the development of 550+ units of affordable housing to our organization in partnership with Mercy Housing and Plymouth Housing Group. The first site, located at 6600 Roosevelt Way NE, will be jointly developed by Bellwether and Mercy Housing Northwest. The development plan includes approximately 245 one-, two- and three-bedroom affordable housing apartments, 100 percent of which will be reserved for low-income residents. Additional community-enhancing features include retail space, a daycare, community room and a through-block, pedestrian-friendly public gathering place that will connect to the light rail station. The second site, located at 1400 Madison Street, will be jointly developed by Bellwether and Plymouth Housing Group. The plan proposes a 13-story building. Plymouth would own the first five floors of the building delivering approximately 111 units affordable to households making 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) or less and target senior citizens transitioning out of homelessness. Bellwether proposes owning floors six thru thirteen, adding an additional 197 units for households earning 30 and 60 percent of AMI, with 30 of these units sized for families. “We knew these sites needed bold, creative proposals,” said Susan Boyd, Chief Executive Officer of Bellwether Housing. “We are leveraging density, a mix of affordable housing types and the strengths of our partner organizations to accomplish something very special in these locations. We are incredibly grateful to Sound Transit for the opportunity.”

Read about our new Comforts of Home campaign, the progress on our new buildings, and a young artist making her home at a Bellwether building in South Lake Union. #ComfortsofHome #SouthLakeUnion #Seattle #AffordableHousing #UniversityDistrict #BrookeGladstone

Please join us in welcoming Cheryl DeBoise to the Bellwether Housing Team. Cheryl is serving in the role of Chief Operations & Financial Officer. Cheryl is a proven leader who brings to the position a deep knowledge of financial management and affordable housing. Cheryl comes to the position with more than 25 years of leadership experience, including as Assistant Vice President of the University of Washington’s Financial Transformation program; Executive Director of Plymouth Housing Group; Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for a division of Lockheed Martin; CFO for Ventura County Credit Union; CFO for Impact Capital, and Regional Business Manager for the debit card processing division of Electronic Data Systems. She has served on the boards and finance committees of several nonprofit organizations. Cheryl graduated from the University of Washington Business School and began her career in public accounting at Touché Ross (now Deloitte), where she obtained her CPA license.

Read our summer newsletter for a resident profile and updates on major energy efficiency improvements at Bellwether, renovations that are preserving and improving two Bellwether buildings, the progress at our new Arbora Court and Anchor Flats Apartments and much more. #AffordableHousingWeek #GiveBig #Bellwether #Seattle #affordablehousing #energyefficiency #RafnCompany #EmeraldCities #Ballard

As part of Affordable Housing Week, Bellwether will host a panel discussion focused on the role the tech sector can play in solving the affordable housing crisis featuring three local industry leaders. Rebekah Bastian, VP of Product at Zillow, Ethan Phelps-Goodman, founder of Seattle Tech 4 Housing and Seattle in Progress, and Jonathan Sposato, CEO of PicMonkey and creator of WeCount.org, will share their insights about leveraging technology and the human capital of Seattle tech companies for social good. Bellwether’s CEO Susan Boyd will moderate the discussion, which is free and open to the public and will include light refreshments. The panel discussion is from 5 – 6:30pm on Tuesday, May 16th at Bellwether’s offices located at 433 Minor Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 in the South Lake Union neighborhood. Please RSVP here if you plan to attend. Affordable Housing Week is organized by the Housing Development Consortium of King County to draw attention to the importance of creating more affordable housing in Seattle/King County and how its members are tackling that challenge. Bellwether Housing is Seattle’s largest non-profit provider of affordable housing, with over 1,900 units throughout the city that families, low-wage working people, seniors, and adults with disabilities call home. We look forward to hearing from these three tech leaders about how their sector can play a role in expanding affordable housing opportunities. For more information, please contact events@bellwetherhousing.org. Please RSVP for the discussion here. #tech #affordablehousing #AffordableHousingWeek #event

Bellwether Housing is pleased to announce the addition of five new members to the Board of Directors: Rhonda Banchero, Rebekah Bastian, Shelly Crocker, Peter Larsen and Peter Nitze. The Board provides leadership for carrying out Bellwether’s mission to create housing affordability so that people and communities thrive. Rhonda Banchero Rhonda Banchero is an Advancement Director for Major Gifts at University of Washington. Prior to assuming that role she was a senior broker at Windermere Real Estate. She is also a seasonal commentator for Fox Sports Northwest and a former player for the Seattle Reign. Her family owns and operates a third-generation Rainier Valley business started more than 80 years ago -meat wholesaler, Mondo and Sons. Rebekah Bastian Rebekah Bastian is Vice President of Product at Zillow, driving the strategy and execution of product teams focusing on advertising, financial systems, and connecting real estate buyers with agents. Rebekah was one of Zillow's first employees, coming over from Microsoft in 2005, and has led the development of several areas of the site since its launch. Always searching for ways to connect her personal values to her technology career, Rebekah launched the Community Pillar program to help connect low income renters with affordable housing and serves on several local boards related to rising housing costs and homelessness. She has been recognized in the Puget Sound Business Journal 40 Under 40 and the Inman 33 People Changing the Real Estate Industry. Rebekah earned her Masters of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. Shelly Crocker Shelly Crocker is a Seattle business consultant with an emphasis on turnaround management and strategic advice to both for profit and nonprofit businesses. She has served on the board of many organizations including Building Changes, a systems change intermediary working to end homelessness. Previously, Shelly was President of the financial- literacy agency CENTS, and a director for Girls on the Run, DownHome Washington, Congregation Beth Shalom, and other organizations. Formerly, Shelly was the founding and managing partner of two law firms, Crocker Law Group and Resolve Legal PLLC, where she was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Washington, and a frequently sought author and speaker. She has a J.D. Magna cum Laude from the University of Minnesota, and a Masters in philosophy and BA from the University of Washington. Peter Larsen Peter Larsen is the Vice President of Amazon Logistics leading product management, business development, software development, and operations teams. Previously, Peter Larsen was the Vice President of product management and business development for Amazon Devices where he launched Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire TV, and the FreeTime Unlimited subscription service for kids. Peter and his team also launched the Dash Button and the Dash Replenishment Service. Earlier in his career, Peter received his MBA from Cornell and then moved to Silicon Valley where he worked at Apple and Liberate Technologies, an interactive TV start up that later went public. After Liberate, Peter moved to London where he became CEO of Enpocket, one of the first mobile advertising start-ups, which was sold to Nokia in 2007. Peter Nitze Peter Nitze serves as the President & CEO of Nitze-Stagen & Co., a real estate investment and management firm. Nitze-Stagen’s vision is to build vibrant, sustainable communities in the greater Seattle area by improving the physical condition of properties and reimagining how they interact with the surrounding community. Peter has 25 years of experience in business management and the successful growth of early-stage companies. Before joining Nitze-Stagen & Co., Peter worked in operations and general management in small, medium and large companies producing high-speed machine tools, inertial guidance systems, optical interconnects, bioengineered compounds, and other high-tech products. Most recently he served as COO of Martek Biosciences where he played a leading role transitioning the company from an early-stage biotech venture into a mature business leading up to its sale to DSM in early 2011. Peter received his B.A. in Slavic Languages and Literature from Harvard and two Master's degrees in engineering from Stanford. "All five of our newest Board members embody the spirit of community and bring talent, expertise and energy to the table. We are very fortunate to have them by our side as we continue to address the affordable housing crisis,” said Susan Boyd, CEO of Bellwether Housing. More Information 2017 Board of Directors

Bellwether is excited to announce that Richard Loo has been selected to serve as our Director of Real Estate Development. Over the last three and a half years, in his role as a Senior Housing Developer, Richard has led the charge on complex development projects including the rehabilitation of the Parker Apartments and the ground-up development of Arbora Court, our largest project to date. He has also taken the lead in assessing the business and political risks and benefits of potential new projects and in establishing important new joint development relationships for future projects. Richard is a mature leader who brings a diverse professional background. Prior to joining Bellwether, Richard worked in the financial industry as a lender and a developer in the private sector. He ran his own business as a development consultant and he was an architect focusing on multi-family and hospitality developments. Throughout Richard’s tenure at Bellwether, he has forged strong relationships with community members, industry partners, key stakeholders and his Bellwether teammates. He has advocated with public and private funders to advance Bellwether’s mission and business interests. He is well positioned to guide Bellwether’s development as we continue to grow our own portfolio, manage complex rehabilitations for our existing buildings and provide high quality development services to other nonprofit organizations. "It is with great honor and humility that I accept the position of Director of Real Estate Development," shared Loo. "The need for affordable housing is more urgent than ever. It is a privilege to be working for an organization that is part of the solution."

In this Issue: Celebrating our new CEO, preventing evictions, announcing Brooke Gladstone as the keynote speaker at our Closer to Home Breakfast and more. Read the Spring 2017 newsletter. #SusanBoyd #EvictionPrevention #residentservices #BrookeGladstone #NPR #OntheMedia #ClosertoHome #advocacy #HALA #Seattle #GiveBig