Exterior Photo of Gardner House

Gardner House and Allen Family Center Celebrate One-Year Anniversary

Gardner House and Allen Family Center in Seattle, WA, have officially been open one year and this is an accomplishment worth celebrating! Creating this first-of-its-kind supportive housing and community center was a monumental accomplishment for Seattle.

Today, families that have formerly experienced homelessness now have a stable place to call home — families like Luvissa’s. “I was fleeing a domestic violence relationship … It was challenging. I was able to find employment and found Gardner House. With that I was able to provide stability for my children and I. The kids, they love it, we’re closer together… It’s affordable and the resources that are here on hand make it easier, those resources are amazing, helpful, and useful”.

As we commemorate this incredible community, we thank all residents, staff, volunteers, partners, and supporters for coming together to make this community a place of opportunity and hope in the face of so many challenges through 2020.
Exterior Photo of Gardner House

Gardner House is a 95-home affordable housing community offering Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) — housing for families that have previously experienced homelessness that provides services and support so that they can live healthy, stable lives. These voluntary services address the unique needs of residents that have struggled with chronic homelessness, and for some, even trauma.

Allen Family Center is located on the ground floor of the building and open to the larger community, not just residents. At this beautiful 8,000-sq ft. service center, local providers including Mary’s Place, Child Care Resources, Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), along with Mercy Housing Northwest, have combined their resources and expertise to help families in the Mount Baker neighborhood. One-stop services at the hub include housing placement and homelessness prevention, help in securing affordable childcare, afterschool programs, health education, and a place where community events are hosted— it’s an essential source of guidance and support for residents and the community. They even have an onsite Mercy Housing Northwest Youth Initiatives & School Liaisons (YSL), connecting students and parents with teachers. The YSL’s foster that irreplaceable bond between family and education, which is especially important during months of remote learning.

Impactful Partnerships
Through the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the late Paul G. Allen made an impactful $30-million donation to create Gardner House and the Allen Family Center. Thanks to strong public-private partnerships with the City of Seattle, Bank of America, and U.S. Bank, Gardner House and Allen Family Center went from a dream to a reality. Together with these partnerships and our service partners, Mercy Housing is ending cycles of poverty and creating brighter futures for those most in need.

Gardner House opened its doors a month early. This is no small feat, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Many of these families were experiencing homelessness and living in shelters. Having a place to call home in 2020 was essential for staying healthy. Finishing construction early and enabling residents to move in earlier than anticipated meant so much for their health and welfare.

Exterior Photo of Gardner House

Gardner House and Allen Family Center 2020 Awards
Residents, staff, volunteers, and partners involved with Gardner House and Allen Family Center have accomplished so much over the past year. Mercy Housing Northwest received the following local and national awards for their excellence and service to the community:

  • 2020 Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award (Special Needs category)
  • Finalist, NAIOP 2020 Community Impact Development of the Year
  • Grand Winner, Gold Nugget Best Affordable Housing Community over 60 du/acre
  • Best Supportive Services in an Affordable Apartment Community at the NAHB—Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards

Take a Virtual Tour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfakGOrrOmM&t=8s