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A recent article published by NBC News highlights Bellwether Housing resident Lisa Smith. The article covers Seattle's Fair Chance Housing Ordinance. Washington State is considering legislation modeled after this Seattle law. The Ordinance aims to improve housing equity by eliminating criminal background checks when landlords are screening tenants. Criminal background checks disproportionately impact people of color, who are disproportionately incarcerated in a discriminatory criminal justice system. Making it easier for people with criminal records to access housing is "crucial to helping formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate in society and decreases the likelihood of them re-offending." Bellwether Housing resident Lisa Smith was interviewed for the article. Her family found it "nearly impossible" to find housing until Seattle's Fair Chance Ordinance passed. "Since we've had stable housing, we're actually able to maintain a goal" Lisa said to NBC. Bellwether changed its criminal record screening criteria in 2017, just before the ordinance became law. By eliminating this criteria, Bellwether sought to remove barriers to accessing affordable housing and increase housing equity for low-income residents.

On Monday, Seattle City Council unanimously voted to enact the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program in 27 urban villages throughout Seattle. MHA requires that developers contribute toward increasing Seattle’s supply of affordable housing. The vote came more than five years after Seattle began working on its Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda, of which MHA is a key component. MHA has been in effect in downtown neighborhoods and the University District since 2017. Bellwether Housing has been a leading advocate for MHA throughout the process. “It is time for us to say yes to more density, yes to more housing, and yes to more neighbors in 27 additional neighborhoods throughout the City of Seattle,” Councilmember M. Lorena González said, minutes before she and her fellow councilmembers unanimously voted in support of citywide MHA. MHA requires developers constructing new commercial or residential projects in urban villages help create affordable housing by either including units on-site or by paying into a fund that will help non-profits develop income and rent restricted homes. In exchange for these requirements, MHA includes modest upzones that allow developers to build s ightly taller buildings in 27 urban villages around the City. (Urban villages are neighborhood hubs that already feature a mix of building types and frequent public transit service.) MHA’s upzones will affect only 6% of the land area in Seattle currently zoned for single family homes. MHA is expected to yield 6,000 new affordable homes across Seattle in the next ten years. A portion of these homes will be built within market rate and luxury apartment buildings. Non-profit affordable housing developers will build the rest by leveraging an anticipated $448.5 million generated by developer-fees and awarded to them through a competitive process. “MHA leverages our city’s growth and our need for more housing of all sizes and styles to create affordable homes that will help the people who work here to live here in the city and bring our unsheltered neighbors indoors into safe, supportive homes,” Susan Boyd, CEO of Bellwether Housing, said after Monday’s vote. Bellwether Housing has advocated for MHA every step of the way from its early planning and policy formulation stages through the community engagement process to the final hearings on the policy earlier this year. In 2018, Bellwether staff and board members turned out to public hearings in every council district to speak up for enacting MHA citywide. Boyd has been a vocal advocate for the program, lending her expertise in affordable housing development and finance to the campaign. A Bellwether advocate spoke minutes before Monday’s vote, urging City Council to pass MHA to help create more affordable homes. “Implementing MHA citywide will boost the resources available to non-profits like Bellwether Housing to create high quality, affordable homes for more low-income households in neighborhoods like Roosevelt, First Hill, and Rainier Beach. Living in walkable, transit-accessible, service-rich neighborhoods shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for high income earners. Enacting MHA throughout the city will help people of all backgrounds and incomes access the incredible opportunities found here in Seattle,” Boyd said. #MandatoryHousingAffordability #HALA #SeattleCityCouncil #advocacy #Seattle #AffordableHousing #zoning

The University Branch Library is just a seven-minute walk from Bellwether’s new Arbora Court Apartments, so the Library was one of the first community resources Resident Services Coordinator Joanna Endo reached out to when she began working at the building this spring. Now, Bellwether has forged a strong partnership with the Seattle Public Library (SPL) that is helping residents access all the library has to offer. SPL librarians created welcome packets for Arbora Court residents with information about the library’s array of resources and services such as the Summer of Learning program for kids and teens, story times, museum passes, homework help, job and employment resources, and ESL and citizenship classes. At an onsite outreach event in May, librarians helped register residents for library cards and got kids signed up for the Library’s summer reading program. In June, the Library brought their summer programming onsite by sponsoring a show by local magician AlakaSam. Families enjoyed lemonade, popcorn, the chance to meet and mingle, and the magic show in Arbora Court’s outdoor gathering space. “The Library brought free book giveaways and we were able to register several people for Library cards. We had about 50 attendees,” said Kristin Edstrom, Children’s Librarian at the University Branch of SPL (at right in upper photo and in photo below). “When we have the library come, we always see children swarming the free book table. They love showing the staff what new books they are taking home,” said Joanna. Bellwether and SPL collaborated again in late September for an end of summer ice cream social featuring Molly Moon’s. “In addition to meeting other residents and eating yummy ice cream, residents were able to sign up for library cards, learn about library events, and children got free books,” said Joanna. Through this partnership, Joanna helped librarians learn about who Bellwether serves and how someone can apply for an apartment. Now, Bellwether is on the Library’s resource list of affordable housing providers. “Since Arbora Court’s opening, I know of at least two regular University Branch users who have become permanently housed there,” reports Kristin. Bellwether Housing is grateful to count The Seattle Public Library among our community partners, and we are also pleased that we can be a resource to SPL patrons seeking housing. #SeattlePublicLibrary #Books #Education #residentservices #AffordableHousing

On October 25th, Bank of America announced that they have selected Bellwether Housing as a 2018 Neighborhood Builder, recognizing Bellwether’s efforts to create stable communities by developing affordable homes near job centers, transit hubs and community services for people with limited incomes. Since 2004, the Neighborhood Builders grant program from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation has been making monetary awards to two outstanding nonprofit organizations in 45 communities across the United States. These organizations receive $200,000 in flexible funding as well as leadership development programs for their senior executives and emerging leaders. “This investment will help us launch an ambitious effort to build 1,000 affordable homes over the next five years and support new strategies for addressing our region’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis,” said Susan Boyd, CEO of Bellwether Housing. “Bank of America shares our vision of a community in which people of all incomes and backgrounds can share in the opportunity and prosperity of our region. We are so grateful to them for helping us bring that vision to reality.” #NeighborhoodBuilders #BankofAmerica #grantaward #AffordableHousing #Seattle #BuildingOpportunity

On October 17th, more than 500 supporters gathered at the Washington State Convention Center for Bellwether’s 8th Annual Closer to Home Breakfast. Together with nearly 50 sponsors and generous Challenge Fund donors, they raised over $350,000 to advance Bellwether’s work of building affordable homes that give residents access to opportunity. Shirley Franklin, the former Mayor of Atlanta and the first African American woman to serve as a mayor of a major Southern City, delivered the keynote address. In her address, Franklin emphasized that affordable housing is at the center of a holistic approach to community building. She remarked that Seattle is a city that others look to for how to solve big problems – whether technical or political. With a blend of humor, insight, and pragmatism, she called on Seattle to harness its innovative spirit and solve the affordable housing crisis. Bellwether Housing extends a special thanks to our sponsors. Colliers International Seattle Multifamily Team was the keynote sponsor. Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Walsh Construction Company were visionary sponsors. Dozens of other companies supported the event’s success. This record-setting Closer to Home Breakfast comes at a time when Bellwether Housing is preparing for a phase of major growth. In the next five years, Bellwether plans to build 1,000 affordable homes on land we control. (Event photos by Alec Miller.) #ClosertoHome #AffordableHousing #BuildingOpportunity #ShirleyFranklin #Atlanta #Seattle

On August 23, the Board of Directors of Sound Transit unanimously approved a zero-cost transfer of land the agency owns in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood to Bellwether Housing and Plymouth Housing Group for the construction of an affordable housing high-rise building. The vote marks Sound Transit’s final sign-off on a Transit Oriented Development Agreement formulated in November 2017 when Sound Transit selected Bellwether and Plymouth to develop the site. Sound Transit has owned the parcel (located at 1400 Madison Street and 1014 Boylston Ave) since 2001 when a First Hill light rail station was still under consideration. Sound Transit is acting on its mandate to dispose the majority of its surplus land to affordable housing development. The zero-cost land transfer makes it possible for Bellwether and Plymouth to maximize the site’s density capacity by building the first affordable housing high rise constructed in Seattle in over 50 years. Ownership of the project will be divided between the two non-profits. Bellwether will own and manage approximately 250 apartments affordable to low-income households, with an estimated 45 apartments sized for families. Plymouth will own and operate approximately 115 apartments for seniors who have experienced chronic homelessness. The development will also include ground-floor commercial space. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan spoke enthusiastically about the development at the August 23 Sound Transit Board Meeting. “It’s very exciting that we have our first approved project for Transit Oriented Development that will provide much, much needed housing. I think it’s great to see the project be even more ambitious than originally planned,” Durkan said. Bellwether and Plymouth are applying for City of Seattle funding for the project this fall. If funding commitments are secured in 2019, construction should begin in 2020 and be complete by 2022. The Mayor indicated a desire to expedite the completion of the development. “The City of Seattle stands ready to work with Bellwether and Plymouth to see if we can even move [completion] up from 2021-2022 since we in Seattle want as much affordable housing now as we can get,” Durkan said. #AffordableHousing #FirstHill #SoundTransit #PlymouthHousingGroup #homelessness #transportation

After packing Benaroya Hall’s Grand Ballroom the past two years, Bellwether’s Closer to Home Benefit Breakfast is moving to the Washington State Convention Center. This year’s breakfast is set for Wednesday, October 17th. Shirley Franklin, the former mayor of Atlanta and the first female African-American mayor of a major southern city, will give the keynote address. Today she serves as the Executive Board Chair of Purpose Built Communities, a non-profit consulting firm that works with local leaders to implement a holistic approach to revitalizing distressed neighborhoods. Interested in attending the Closer to Home Breakfast? Please send RSVPs to events@bellwetherhousing.org and include the full names and email addresses of each person planning to attend. For more details about the event, visit the Closer to Home page on our website and watch for our fall newsletter. Thank you to our Keynote sponsor, Colliers International, our Visionary Sponsors, Amazon, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Walsh Construction Company, and our many other sponsors for their support of the Closer to Home Breakfast. #ClosertoHome #Seattle #affordablehousing

In last summer’s newsletter, we highlighted the early stages of Bellwether Housing’s involvement in the RENEW Project. This initiative of Emerald Cities Collaborative, aims to help affordable housing providers achieve significant energy savings by providing them with low-interest loans to upgrade their buildings systems. For Bellwether, the program is beginning to trim our energy and water usage and reduce utility expenses, leaving us with more money to create and maintain affordable homes. We are also proud to be conserving natural resources to help keep the Puget Sound region green and livable for all. At First and Vine in Belltown, the ventilation systems was balanced to reduce wasteful over-circulation of air, leading to 12% energy savings in the past twelve months compared to the year prior. At Cascade Court on First Hill, upgrades to LED lighting have led to 15% electricity savings over last year. Cascade Court also achieved 13% savings in gas by installing two new condensing gas boilers. The building also saw 21% water savings thanks to the installation of low-flow toilets, showerheads, and sink aerators. Kingway, in the Rainier Valley, achieved 13% gas savings after new water heaters were installed. Water usage at Kingway has been reduced by 31% with the same in-unit upgrades as Cascade Court. Bellwether plans to update electrical, gas, lighting, and plumbing systems at five more buildings this year through the RENEW Project. We look forward to continuing to reduce our buildings’ water and energy usage so we can dedicate more resources to creating enduring affordable housing in the Puget Sound region.

Some people dread their birthdays – not Bellwether Housing Board Member Rebekah Bastian. In celebration of her upcoming 40th birthday, Rebekah launched her “$40K for 40 families in 40 days!” campaign on Facebook. The name of her effort reflects the fact that Bellwether is $40,000 away from completing our Comforts of Home Campaign, aimed at raising the funds to furnish and outfit 40 apartments at Arbora Court for families transitioning out of homelessness. Rebekah’s goal is ambitious, but she’s already making remarkable progress towards it. Zillow, where Rebekah is the VP of Community & Culture, collaborated with Pearl Jam’s Home Shows to donate $20,000 towards the Comforts of Home Campaign. Pearl Jam is using their first hometown shows in five years to shine a light on the homelessness crisis in Seattle and solutions to it. Part of that effort includes donating to local non-profits like Bellwether that are working to solve our region’s affordable housing and homelessness crises. The Home Shows’ donation combined with the $11,351 that Rebekah’s friends have already donated puts her 78% of the way to her $40,000 goal. You can help Rebekah reach her goal by donating to her fundraiser on Facebook here before August 10th.

At Bellwether Housing, we focus on building affordable homes that give our residents access to opportunities, services, and amenities in our region. Residents at our two newest buildings, Arbora Court and Anchor Flats, report that their homes are putting them within easy reach of jobs, schools, transit, shopping, and parks. Residents began moving into Arbora Court’s 133 apartments at the end of April. Arbora Court offers studios, one, two, and three bedroom apartments for families, singles, and couples. 40 of the apartments are set-aside for families transitioning out of homelessness. Lillian Richards and her three children, ages two, seven, and ten, used to live in a cramped two-bedroom apartment. As her kids grew bigger, they needed more space. Lillian particularly wanted her ten-year-old son who has special needs to be able to have his own room. But finding an affordable place to call home for a larger family on a limited income proved challenging. That’s why Lillian was thrilled to find Arbora Court, where her family now has a three-bedroom apartment. “I love the building and my apartment! It’s bigger, bright, and more open,” says Lillian. “It’s so convenient having the courtyard with the playground here for my kids.” Lillian describes Arbora Court’s location as “perfect” since her family can now complete many errands on foot. She also appreciates the information she’s received from onsite Resident Services Coordinator, Joanna Endo, who has helped the family get settled in their new neighborhood. “Joanna always helps me with research, and when I moved in, she gave me a list of all kinds of resources nearby,” says Lillian. Resident Tess Ritter, a singer and single mom, used to spend lots of the time in the car driving between her home in South Seattle, her daughter Grace’s school in North Seattle, her rehearsals in South Lake Union, and her part-time job in the U-District. From Arbora Court, Tess can ride the bus to rehearsals, walk to her second job at an arts non-profit, and only spend about 15 minutes in the car getting Grace to school. Now, Tess and Grace can spend more time together doing the things they enjoy like going to the farmer’s market, visiting the library, and cooking. “My quality of living is vastly improved just due to the fact that I don’t have to spend so much time in my car,” says Tess. Anchor Flats, located in South Lake Union, opened in June with 71 apartments for singles, couples, and small families. Bellwether’s impact investment program, Seattle’s Future Fund, helped finance the building’s construction. “I am so fortunate to be able to call Anchor Flats home. Previously, I moved three times in five years because my rent was raised 20-30% each time. I feared that to afford retirement, I would need to move away from Seattle and all it has to offer, including my friends. Now I don't have to,” says Anchor Flats resident, Scott Green, a longtime Seattleite and recent retiree. Anchor Flats puts residents within walking distance of the region’s major jobs center, several parks, and bus routes going all over the city. “I have enjoyed exploring my new neighborhood. I’m within walking distance to grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants and the Seattle Center,” says Scott. Anchor Flats resident Cynthia Reynolds hasn’t owned a car in ten years, so when it was time to move she worried about finding somewhere she could both afford and live without a car. She was delighted to find Anchor Flats. “I primarily get around on the bus. From Anchor Flats, I can ride the bus to the grocery store or to downtown and work,” says Cynthia. "I also like getting some exercise by walking to the waterfront.” These two buildings represent the biggest expansion of Bellwether’s portfolio in our history. Over the next five years, we plan to add 1,200 homes to our portfolio in transit-oriented locations with approximately 30% of the apartments sized for families. #AffordableHousing #ArboraCourt #AnchorFlats #transportation #Seattle

On Monday, May 14th, join Bellwether Housing and local thought leaders Nick Hanauer, serial entrepreneur and founder of the policy incubator shop Civic Ventures, Shefali Ranganathan, Seattle Deputy Mayor, and Gabriel Grant, Principal at Spectrum Development Solutions, to explore how innovation and disruptive thinking might bring solutions to our housing crisis. The panel will be moderated by Jessyn Farrell, former State Representative and Senior Vice President with Civic Ventures. Bellwether Housing is sponsoring this event as part of Affordable Housing Week, organized by the Seattle-King County Housing Development Consortium. The panel will take place at Amazon’s Arizona building located at 207 Boren Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109. Bellwether Housing thanks Amazon.com for generously donating the space. Light refreshments will be served prior to the panel discussion which begins at 5:30 PM. Guests are encouraged to arrive at 5:00 PM to check-in, mingle, and enjoy the refreshments. If you plan to attend, please RSVP via EventBrite and make sure to bring a government issued photo ID in order to be admitted to the event. #AffordableHousingWeek #AffordableHousing #Seattle #tech

Lucky Envelope Brewing, Populuxe Brewing, Reuben's Brews and Stoup Brewing are hosting the 2nd Annual Ballard Putt Putt & Brew Crawl for Bellwether Housing on Sunday, May 13th, 2018. Join the breweries for a fun afternoon of putt putt, craft beer, and a costume contest, all while helping Bellwether Housing create affordable homes. The entry fee of $40 per team of four includes a souvenir coozie for each player, access to the awards ceremony and great prizes. Registration opens Saturday, April 21st and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Teams must register in-person at one of the four breweries. On May 13th, tee time starts at 1 p.m. at the brewery where your team registered. Reuben’s Brews will host the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. Awards and trophies will be presented to the first, second and third place teams as well as for best team costume. There will also be an opportunity to participate in a 50/50 raffle benefiting Bellwether Housing. Raffle tickets will be sold for $1 at each brewery. Entry fees, raffle proceeds and direct donations will help purchase furniture and home goods like bedding and cookware for forty apartments at Arbora Court for families transitioning out of homelessness. Participants are invited to bring new twin XL or queen sheet sets and blankets, pillows, bath towels, bath mats, and dish towels to the Putt Putt & Beer Crawl to help Bellwether welcome families to comfortable, fully furnished homes. Items can be donated at any of the four breweries on the day of the event.