Home: A Foundation for Success

It’s easy to take the pleasures in life for granted. It is even easier to take the basics in life for granted. Stable mental health, clean water to drink, a place to come home to every night–these aren’t rights as American citizens but they are privileges that so many of us have enjoyed without a second thought.

These issues were drawn to the forefront of my mind by an article that I wrote recently on housing in Seattle. Mayor McGinn has approved a radical development plan that reaches out to those in need buy giving them a firm foundation for success: a home. I don’t know what the long-term results will be of such housing developments but the potential can be endlessly good.

Check out the article and further details below:

“If you hand a man a fish, you sustain him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you sustain him for a life time.” The saying has proven to be ageless, reasserting its relevance generation after generation. Creating sustainable change in people’s lives includes providing the foundation for self-sufficiency. Mayor McGinn’s office aims to help Seattle residents get back on their feet in a way that promotes independence through new housing programs.

The Mayor recently announced that nearly $30 million will fund the construction of new multi-family housing units throughout Seattle. These apartment buildings will provide housing options for seniors, low-income families, homeless persons, and veterans. 476 new apartment homes will be available.

The new housing units may just be the key opportunity that some Seattleites seek. These homes meet residents where they are now—financially, socially, personally—and provide a foundation for them to step up, meet their potential, a hopefully exceed it. There is nothing like having a home to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

In addition to providing shelter for those in need, the development project creates living-wage construction, maintenance, and building operations jobs. Supportive housing complexes will provide employment opportunities for nurses, counselors, and other mental and physical health professionals.

Locations and Housing Services Include:

  •  12th Avenue Arts: 88 units of housing affordable for low-income families. The area will also receive retail space and a community center for the arts.
  • 4251 Aurora Ave: 63 units customized for homeless persons and 8 for veterans. These units provide permanent supportive housing.
  • Delridge Supportive Housing: 75 studios for vulnerable persons who are in need of on-site support. There will be multiple aid programs available, including those to assist residents with mental or medical health issues and substance abuse dilemmas.
  • Impact Family Village: 61 units for families with incomes ranging from minimum wage to $40,000 a year. 12 units will be designated for families with one or more disabled members.
  • Mt. Baker Lofts:  56 units for artists and other creative professionals.
  • Rainier Court III: 70 units for low-income seniors.
  • Sand Point Phase 2: 54 units of supportive housing for homeless families.

Source: Seattle.gov

I don’t know what the long-term results will be of such housing developments but the potential can be endlessly good. It would be interesting to see such measures taken to edify those in need in the South.

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