Summary

King County Executive Dow Constantine and Chief Seattle Club announced the opening of Salmonberry Lofts, a new Health Through Housing building in partnership with the City of Seattle. The first residents to the 76-unit building will move in this month.

Story

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the latest opening for Health Through Housing: Salmonberry Lofts, a newly constructed building providing 76 units of permanent supportive housing in Pioneer Square. The building will welcome the first residents later this month and is being operated by Chief Seattle Club, an organization with a local footprint in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. New residents will continue to move in through February 2023. The first floor of the building will include community meeting space and activity rooms.

“We know the transformative power of having a safe, dignified place to live, and opening the doors of Salmonberry Lofts moves us closer to our goal that every person will have a home and the opportunity to move forward in their lives,” said Executive Constantine. “None of this would be possible without the partnership of the City of Seattle and community-based providers like Chief Seattle Club. Salmonberry Lofts joins our other buildings around the county - including two opening soon in Auburn and Federal Way - in providing stable housing, forging connections to services, and restoring hope.”

Purchased in July 2021, Salmonberry Lofts, formerly named Canton Lofts, is the fifth Health Through Housing building to open – and the fourth in Seattle – continuing progress toward the initiative’s target to open 1,600 units of affordable housing for people experiencing, or at risk of chronic homelessness in King County. By acquiring existing facilities, such as former hotels, nursing homes, and other similar properties, Health Through Housing creates housing that is dignified, protective, and service enriched.

The initiative also aims to reduce racial and ethnic disproportionality among people experiencing chronic homelessness. Black, Native American, and Alaska Native members of the community are five times overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander members of the community are three times overrepresented.

Salmonberry was designed in partnership with Chief Seattle Club to be culturally appropriate, and will center traditional wellness in its programming, in addition to wraparound services such as behavioral health supports and employment navigation. It is just around the corner from Chief Seattle Club’s urban housing complex ʔálʔal. This is the first Health Through Housing partnership with the organization as building operators.

“Native Americans and Alaska Natives make up just one percent of the population but are the highest percentage of our city’s chronically homeless. Our work isn’t done until every one of our relatives has a place to call home,” said Derrick Belgarde, Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club. “Homelessness was met with urgency during the COVID pandemic, which was so important. But it’s critical that all levels of government act with this urgency always. We need more creative partnerships to ensure that developments like Salmonberry Lofts and ʔálʔal are built to meet the growing and immediate need for housing.”

As with all Health Through Housing locations, Salmonberry Lofts will have 24/7 building staffing, including case managers, housing navigators, connection to health and behavioral services, and assistance in entitlement and employment programs. With this latest opening, King County has housed 565 people, purchased 1,011 units in 11 buildings across the region, and invested in the operations and services of two permanent supportive housing buildings in Seattle with more than 200 additional units.

A sixth building in Auburn will open its doors to new residents at the end of December. In 2023, King County will open the Federal Way, Kirkland, and Redmond Health Through Housing buildings, and intends to purchase at least one additional building.

Relevant links

• Health Through Housing Initiative
• Salmonberry Lofts HTH Announcement | July 2021
• Chief Seattle Club

Quotes

We know the transformative power of having a safe, dignified place to live, and opening the doors of Salmonberry Lofts moves us closer to our goal that every person will have a home and the opportunity to move forward in their lives. None of this would be possible without the partnership of the City of Seattle and community-based providers like Chief Seattle Club. Salmonberry Lofts joins our other buildings around the county - including two opening soon in Auburn and Federal Way - in providing stable housing, forging connections to services, and restoring hope.

Native Americans and Alaska Natives make up just one percent of the population but are the highest percentage of our city’s chronically homeless. Our work isn’t done until every one of our relatives has a place to call home. Homelessness was met with urgency during the COVID pandemic, which was so important. But it’s critical that all levels of government act with this urgency always. We need more creative partnerships to ensure that developments like Salmonberry Lofts and ʔálʔal are built to meet the growing and immediate need for housing.

For more information, contact:

Katie Rogers, Department of Community and Human Services, 206-758-8287