Wen Xu, Senior Vice President of Development & Asset Management
King County Housing Authority
King County Housing Authority
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Learn about the latest News & Events for KCHA, and sign up to receive news updates.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, the federal government rescinded the Executive Orders issued just yesterday, which had temporarily paused federal funding.
This means that current federal grants, loans and financial assistance remain in place for right now. Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance was not affected by the initial orders, and continues to remain in place.
KCHA is watching the situation closely and will provide any updates as we receive them.
June 3, 2024 — Tukwila
Effective October 1, 2024, all rental units assisted by Housing Choice Voucher funds will be inspected using the new National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) standards.
More information will be sent to all housing providers.
Learn more on HUD's NSPIRE webpage.
May 30, 2024 — Tukwila
Housing instability has a lasting effect on individuals, families and communities, and it disproportionately affects people of color.
The King County Housing Authority is both a leader and a partner in the solutions, striving to dismantle structural racism, providing high quality affordable housing, helping families achieve their goals of self-sufficiency, and supporting more than 55,000 people across 33 cities and unincorporated King County.
Read more about our goals, priorities, and progress in KCHA's 2023 Report to Community.
Apr. 1, 2024 — Shoreline
King County Housing Authority (KCHA) finalized the purchase of a multifamily apartment community in the Richmond Beach neighborhood of Shoreline, Wash., preserving 54 units of rental housing, 39 of which are subsidized through federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) project-based subsidies, as an ongoing affordable option for individuals and families.
The KCHA purchase of Henry House strengthens affordability protections and preserves access to federal subsidies for current residents.
The Henry House property, located at 351 NW Richmond Beach Road, is situated on a 1.55-acre parcel and includes 54 units ranging from one-bedroom to family-friendly three-bedroom units. KCHA closed on the property March 29, 2024, at a purchase price of $9.95 million.
KCHA purchased the apartment complex amid rising rents and concerns that private ownership may have jeopardized the preservation of federal subsidies on the site, creating a risk that lower-income residents could be pushed out. KCHA ownership ensures housing stability and access to federal support for current and future residents.
Henry House is surrounded by residential single-family homes, condominiums and apartment communities. The property includes on-site parking, laundry facilities, patios, and balconies. Bus stops on NW Richmond Beach Road, directly in front of Henry House, serve Route 302 and 348, which provide access throughout Shoreline and to Seattle. Henry House is in Shoreline School District and is within a 1.5-mile radius of several good schools and is within walking distance to numerous parks including Hillside Park, Innis Arden Reserve, Richmond Beach Saltwater Park and Shoreview Park.
“We are pleased to support the Shoreline community by preserving the affordable housing at Henry House and supporting current residents,” said KCHA Executive Director Robin Walls. “KCHA is dedicated to preserving and expanding the region’s supply of affordable housing. We are pleased to support the Shoreline community in working towards that goal, and we know how important it is to support current residents with continued federal subsidy. We are doubling down on programs we know are working to help residents stay in their neighborhoods.”
Jan. 23, 2024 — Kent
King County Housing Authority (KCHA) has completed the purchase of a multifamily apartment community in the East Hill neighborhood of Kent, Wash., preserving 116 units of rental housing as an ongoing affordable option for individuals and families.
The 5.03-acre Sterling Ridge property, located at 11328 SE Kent-Kangley Road, includes a significant number of larger apartment homes, including 50 two-bedroom and 50 three-bedroom units. KCHA closed on the property Nov. 10, 2023, at a purchase price of $28 million.
KCHA stepped in to purchase the apartment community amid concerns that escalating rents on this site would increase housing instability and force existing lower-income residents out. While pressure is growing overall on rents in South King County, these market pressures are particularly acute in the case of larger, multi-bedroom apartments, due to an overall shortage of units that are big enough to accommodate families. Sterling Ridge is surrounded by other residential single-family homes, condominiums and apartment communities and has many family-friendly amenities including a shared clubhouse, fitness center and outdoor playground area.
Sterling Ridge lies within the Kent School District, within which a significant number of children reside. Housing instability is widely recognized as contributing to poor academic performance, and preventing the displacement of families and children was a driving factor in KCHA’s decision to purchase the apartments.
“We are excited to be able to acquire Sterling Ridge and maintain this critical housing resource while providing the families and individuals that currently reside there with the promise of stability,” said KCHA Executive Director Robin Walls. “KCHA is dedicated to ending homelessness and improving educational outcomes for our region’s low-income youth, so this decision was a no-brainer. We believe this acquisition will keep families living in the neighborhood they love.”
A Metro bus stop on SE Kent-Kangley Road, directly in front of Sterling Ridge Apartments, serves Route 168, which provides access to the Kent Sounder Station, and Route 162, which travels to Seattle (via the Kent Park and Ride).
KCHA has an existing presence in this area. Three other KCHA workforce housing properties that are affordable to lower- to moderate-income residents – Walnut Park Apartments (140 units), Southwood Square (104 units), and Parkwood Apartments (90 units) – are within a 1.5-mile radius of Sterling Ridge.
Jan. 19, 2024 — Seattle
Ten years after an inclusive Community Center Visioning Process and after years of local engagement in comprehensive planning, on Jan. 18, West Hill’s Skyway community celebrated the Skyway Resource Center’s groundbreaking.
“This is a huge, tangible win for our neighborhood and is a truly a community-owned development,” said Ryan Quigtar, Executive Director of Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP).
This new facility – designated a HUD EnVision Center – will be a multi-service resource hub providing access to economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness, and character-leadership services in the Skyway community – an unincorporated section of King County with limited resources. The Skyway Resource Center will occupy land and a 4,568 square-foot building donated by U.S. Bank in 2021. It will replace an existing mobile resource center launched by RIZP in 2020 to help fill the void of services available to Skyway residents.
This project is personal for Quigtar, who grew up in the Skyway community and wrote a business plan for a youth center in Skyway back in 2012 while attending college at the University of Miami in Florida.
“This will be a welcoming space that helps everyone in our community thrive,” Quigtar said. “In addition to the many other benefits the Skyway Resource Center will bring, it will help young people with their homework, help them find a job, help them make new friends. For youth to understand they have options is super powerful.”
King County Housing Authority (KCHA) is serving as a steward of the project and is providing technical support to the community organizations leading the project’s development. KCHA is also serving as the property’s fiscal agent and overseeing building improvements.
“We are all about helping improve and grow communities that haven’t had the services and investments other communities have,” said KCHA CEO Robin Walls. “It’s an honor to support this impressive community effort, which will enhance our housing activities in the area and enrich all Skyway-West Hill residents.”
In addition to donating the property at 12610 76th Ave S., U.S. Bank is providing an ATM, financial support and financial literacy resources to the facility.
“U.S. Bank is proud to be a partner of the Skyway Resource Center, and we’re humbled by the important work that these organizations do to provide resources to the Skyway community,” said Chris Befumo, U.S. Bank Branch Banking Market Leader for Washington. “Acknowledging the incredible efforts from the Renton Innovation Zone Partnership to support this community via their mobile resource center, it’s time that they get a permanent home to continue their mission. At U.S. Bank, we strive to ensure that everyone has access to the tools, resources and networks that allow businesses and communities to thrive. The Skyway Resource Center will play a significant role in delivering exactly that for this community.”
The Skyway Resource Center is expected to open its doors in October 2024, and will house more than a dozen nonprofit, public and community-based organizations providing a comprehensive array of services. The collaboration has been years in development and was ultimately made possible by the generous support of funding partners including King County, the State of Washington, the Ballmer Group, Norcliffe Foundation, Sunderland Foundation, LISC and 4-Culture.
"I'm thrilled to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Skyway Resource Center in our 37th District,” said Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle. “From its start in 2020, responding to COVID-19 challenges, to now having a permanent home, this marks a significant achievement. The Skyway Resource Center's new home symbolizes the strength of our community’s spirit, and I'm confident it will continue to be a vital resource for our neighbors."
To learn more about the Skyway Resource Center, visit https://www.skywayresourcecenter.org/.
