♪♪
-We're honored to have you here for the city of Seattle's
second annual Affordable Housing Celebration,
also informally known in the office as Yay Housing,
because, yay, housing!
A big thank you to the Chief Seattle Club,
especially co-executive directors
James Lovell and Pam Vaughn.
Please let Derrick know that we miss him but, dude,
he's on sabbatical and I wish I were, too.
Sorry. Maybe not, boss.
Additionally, many thanks to Kamiak, Scott Lien,
and Justin Merriman for great --
for generously providing this space.
And we're -- thank you so much for doing that,
but we're also very excited to see this become
the future home of Sweetgrass Flats.
As I said, this event is to celebrate our joint work
across different parts of the Office of Housing.
And so a little bit on our show today,
you'll hear from some speakers,
and then please stay for the food,
because why have an event
if you're not going to have snacks, right? Exactly.
So community comes together during uncertain times,
and it's a challenging time for housing right now.
And moments like this remind us of why we do what we do.
At the center of everything, every conversation,
every program, every intention,
are people who are our neighbors,
and our community, and our family.
It's about ensuring every person here can live with dignity,
opportunity, and hope.
So thank you all for being here
and for helping us meet OH's vision
that everyone have a healthy and affordable home.
So now it's my honor to introduce somebody
who really doesn't need any introduction,
I think, to most of you, who's my boss, Mayor Bruce Harrell.
[ Scattered applause ]
Yes, hold on -- short.
Who asked me to join the OH team
and steward these significant investments
that will bring lasting change to our city.
As his employee, I can assure you
that his leadership and his authenticity
is as bold as his sense of humor and his laugh.
He's kind of got a loud laugh.
He's kind of known for that.
It's a good thing.
Under his watch,
we've seen unwavering dedication to bringing
housing stability to Seattle.
And for him, no idea is too small or too big
and he's a champion for every Seattleite,
reminding us that leadership is about action.
So please welcome Mayor Bruce Harrell.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, Maiko. Thank you very much.
I approve of that message.
-Sorry. -Let me get this right.
-I'm shorter than you. -No, that's okay.
So I have some prepared remarks, and many of you,
I -- you all are like family.
You know I never stay on my remarks.
You can't when you see this kind of community
fighting together for Seattle.
When I just got here, I had to sort of take a look around.
The irony of this work that you all are championing is this.
In the 1960s and 1970s,
I used to walk these streets as a child.
That means two things. I'm old.
It also means that I was able to see this area
when it was quite affordable.
I read an article today about the median house in Seattle
being $850,000, interest rates being north of 7%.
There was a time you could erase the 800 from that
and say houses around here for 55,000, or 40,000, or 30,000.
My parents bought their first house
not too far from here for $6,000.
This work we are doing now,
particularly with the federal climate being what it is,
is going to be so incredibly important for us to show,
indeed, the rest of this state and the rest of this country.
What we can do when we are like-minded,
and we have good people like you all
and strong organizations partnering.
I want to ground us in a quote.
Many of you have read Matthew Desmond's book
"Evicted: Poverty and Profit in ab American City."
I want to ground us in this quote.
"The home is the wellspring of personhood.
It is where our identity takes root and blossoms,
where as children we imagine, play, and question,
and as adolescents, we retreat and try.
As we grow older, we hope to settle into a place
to raise a family or pursue work.
When we try to understand ourselves,
we often begin by considering the kind of homes
in which we were raised."
And many people were raised in very loving homes,
and caring homes,
and they were warm,
and some people were not born in those circumstances at all.
And so when we talk about inclusion and diversity,
and to me, those are not bad words to say.
Let me be very honest with you.
These are great words to say.
That we have to recognize some people are born in conditions
that were out of their control.
So today, now that I have you laughing out of your chairs
with my remarks,
I am just very proud to describe our first round of funding,
our first allocation of the 970 million housing levy,
which was overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2023,
again, because of the great work that you all did
with our office.
We know that too many Seattle neighborhoods are feeling
the strain of how high -- of high housing costs
and we have to be a city.
If we're to be the city that
at least I want to see, as your mayor,
we have to be a city where baristas, and teachers,
and grocery store workers,
and others who can afford to live here,
and many who need permanent supportive housing,
they have to be treated and they have to be housed.
We, as an administration working with a strong housing community,
we are just simply all in.
So this investment will support the construction
of 655 new affordable homes ranging from studios
to three-bedroom units that can support our low-income families.
Included in those homes
are 204 new permanent supportive housing units,
including 84 units right here at Sweetgrass Flats
run by the Chief Seattle Club.
And again, I love being inspired by the rhythm of the drums.
What an appropriate place. Thank you for hosting us here.
Over the last three years,
our investments have helped to open over 5,000 units
of affordable housing, with more in production.
Many of you know the budget that was approved
that we proposed had a historic 342 million investment
in affordable housing,
continuing the progress we are making.
I'll turn it back over to my superstar,
Maiko Winkler-Chin, our director of housing,
in a second, but I'll close with this.
As we just started entering 2025,
you know, I read the newspaper,
at least one, or two, or three newspapers every day.
Phew, I have to read these newspapers.
And when we are asked as a city
how will we deal with a lot of the executive orders
coming out of the White House,
a lot of the rhetoric that we're seeing in the newspapers,
I need to -- and I'll say this.
You'll hear me saying this a lot this year,
that as a young athlete, if I lost a game,
I wouldn't quit and say they were better than me.
I'd get into the gym much earlier, and I'd work out,
and I'd study film.
I'd study everything my opponent does.
I'd outwork my opponent.
I'd hustle them and I'd believe
that my North Star will keep me strong.
So I say to you as housing advocates,
as housing warriors, I say this to our Native community,
we will be stronger, we will fight harder,
and 2025 is going to be our year as a city.
You hear me? 2025 will be our year as a city.
So thank you very much for this tremendous celebration.
There are many organizations that are recipients.
But it's not -- they're not recipients
of what we're trying to do because,
oh, we just think you're -- it's because you earned every dime
that you've gotten from the city.
Every collateral investment that you've been able to do,
every nail that you've been able to pound,
you have earned it because of your tenacity
and your commitment to this community.
This is nothing short of absolutely beauty,
so thank you for being the housing community you are,
and I turn it back over to Maiko Winkler-Chin.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, Mayor Harrell.
So OH doesn't own buildings.
I know people sometimes get confused.
We don't own buildings.
We partner with organizations throughout the city,
as you can see by some of the locational signs here,
throughout the city.
To own and operate housing that reflects the diversity
and the needs of our city.
Chief Seattle Club is an organization
who builds community that is centered on cultural care,
which is something that's really important to me, so I like that.
Their vision is a future
where Native communities are safe, healthy, housed,
and connected to other community
that respects and celebrates Native cultures.
And we're honored to invest in them
to help make their vision a reality.
So please welcome co-executive director and drummer
of the Chief Seattle Club, co-director James Lovell.
[ Applause ]
-Can I get a hug or no?
I'll note that Mayor Harrell did not hug on his way down.
Nona and Michael gave me 25 minutes,
but I'll try to keep it down to six or five.
-I did not! I did not!
-Boozhoo. My name is James W. Lovell,
and I'm an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band
of Chippewa Indians from Belcourt, North Dakota.
I was born and raised here in Seattle.
In our language, we call ourselves Anishinaabeg,
which means "the original people."
And our stories tell us
that we were made of the divine breath of the creator
and descended from Bugonagiizhig,
which is the Pleiades constellation.
And that deep inside each of us,
we carry the creator's mission to serve
and protect our world and everything in it.
So in short, we are a modest people.
Pause for laughter. Who wrote that?
Typically, I'm the chief community development officer
for Chief Seattle Club,
but today, I'm one of two in a room co-executive directors,
along with my colleague, Pam Vaughn.
We are here in place of our CEO, Derrick Belgarde,
who is on a well-deserved sabbatical.
So on behalf of Derrick, Pam,
the board of directors of Chief Seattle Club,
we would like to acknowledge
and thank our Coast Salish relatives
for their ongoing partnership with this land and our people.
I would also like to recognize our partner organizations
who are in the room sharing in the celebration,
particularly our next-door neighbors,
Plymouth Housing and St. Francis House,
and our developer, Kamiak,
represented here by Scott Lien and Justin.
I would like to thank Mayor Harrell,
the Seattle City Council, and most of all,
the voters of Seattle,
who have made it possible for projects like this,
Sweetgrass Flats, to open up and house our relatives.
With innovative, responsive, and effecting fund --
effective funding strategies like this,
we are housing our relatives quickly
as we continue to develop more and more units.
Mr. Mayor and any City Council who are present,
thank you for your ongoing commitment to housing.
Unfortunately, it looks like we will be calling
on you more and more.
Fortunately, you have incredible teams working
to address housing and homelessness,
especially the teams under Deputy Mayor Washington,
Director Winkler-Chin, and Director Kim.
I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge
that significant funding in the millions for this project
came from King County, Washington State,
and presumably, the National Housing Trust Fund.
In the 1950s, following centuries of public policy
that could best be summarized briefly as genocide,
the federal government began a new tact.
Get the Indians to the cities
and they will blend out as the federal government
simultaneously closed down tribes.
Using the Indian Relocation Act of 1956
and tribal termination beginning in 1953,
there began an era
where the federal government resolved
to terminate the special trustee relationship
that tribes held with the United States.
This resulted in hundreds of thousands of American Indians
and Alaska Natives being moved to urban areas
far from their homes and traditional lands.
Today, the Federal Office of Minority Health
shares that over 80% of American Indians and Alaska Natives
live in urban areas.
We have the honor to partner with
and be supported by our Coast Salish relatives.
But 95% of the chronically homeless Native people
in King County are from the small islands
of Southeast Alaska, the Great Plains,
the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest,
and Oklahoma Indian country, among other places.
And a few hundred of us from a near forgotten parcel of land
in north central North Dakota.
We did not choose to come to cities far from home,
but we are proud to be here and carry our traditions with us.
However, this urbanization came from broken promises of jobs,
housing, education, and dignity.
Many of our relatives were left with no recourse
but to live on the streets.
So while we share in the dismay at our regional crisis,
this is not new to us.
Chief Seattle Club was founded in 1970 to address this,
and we have been doing just that for almost 55 years.
While Native people are over 30% of the chronically homeless
in King County
and there are about 1,000 Native people on the streets
on any given night.
We believe that we are also 100% of the solution
for our chronically homeless Native relatives.
We thank government entities like the city of Seattle
for continuing their trust and bold investments,
and to continue to trust us to bring housing,
healing, and hope to our urban Native relatives
and the broader community.
In 2019, when we opened our first tiny house village,
people said we would never be able to open our first --
our own building.
This building you see here
will be our fifth permanent supportive housing building
that we have opened in three years.
We will not stop until we reach our own functional zero
for chronically homeless Native adults.
We estimate that it will take 1,000 units to achieve this.
And with this investment from the city of Seattle,
we will have opened 425 units in just over three years.
Pause for applause for yourselves.
I didn't actually write "pause for applause" in my remarks.
So apologies for the sports metaphor,
but, Mr. Mayor,
this is like being at the 45-yard line knowing
you need at least six points and having no receivers.
We are going to run this ball up field using all four downs
on every play and dunk it past the goalie for a grand slam.
[ Laughter ]
Joking aside, this is serious business.
Every aspect of Native identity has been legislated
and made illegal over the years.
Our land and food systems were taken from us.
Our children were forcibly removed
and put in boarding schools with the mantra,
"Kill the Indian, save the man."
We were beaten for speaking our languages.
The remains of our ancestors are still on display in museums
and our arts and crafts have been taken from us.
We were not even granted spiritual freedom
until the American Indian Religious Freedoms Act of 1978.
And that is why we are proud to partner
with the city of Seattle open housing
that centers the identity of American Indians
and Alaska Natives.
The philosopher and author John Powell
reminds us not to confuse the conditions with the people.
The conditions for our community are horrific,
but the people are resilient.
Earlier today, my brothers, Nathan and Anthony,
and I shared a song that would have been illegal
to sing in my grandparents' time.
That was the AIM song,
which is for the American Indian Movement.
And it was given to AIM
in honor of Raymond Yellow Thunder on his death.
But we sing it proudly today, and safely,
knowing that the city of Seattle, King County,
and Washington State has our backs in this effort.
We're going to continue to fight like hell to house our people,
and we know we're not alone.
So, miigwech, and thank you for your time and support.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, James.
So OH started a workforce stabilization investment
in the past couple of years, and what does that mean?
Well, OH and I feel that this community really believes
that we need to support the support.
And so that program, the Workforce Stabilization Program,
is to improve staff pay
and to provide other resources such as
professional development programs.
So I'm going to introduce somebody
who works in that field.
Samajee Clewis is a graduate of the ASSET Program
at Catholic Community Services of Western Washington.
Sam started as a residential support staff member,
and then became a case manager,
and is now using her experiences to advocate
for those facing homelessness and financial struggles.
Please join me in welcoming the remarkable Sam Clewis.
[ Applause ]
-Good afternoon, everyone.
-Good afternoon. -Good afternoon.
-Thank you for the opportunity to speak today about a topic
that is very close to my heart,
the importance of the ASSET Program
at Catholic Community Services
and the impact it has on individuals like myself.
As a young person,
I face challenges that many of my peers could hardly imagine.
At the age of 17,
I found myself at a crossroads
when a pivotal mistake led to my felony conviction.
This label, a heavy burden from a momentary lapse in judgment,
overshadowed my dreams and aspirations.
This pervasive stigma made me question
my self-worth and potential,
as the weight on my past loomed large
and paralyzed my ambitions.
Finding employment was nearly impossible.
I remember countless job interviews
where I walked in full of hope,
only to be met with the stark reality of my record.
Each rejection felt like another door slamming shut
while my peers secured jobs, cultivated careers,
and planned futures
that seemed increasingly unattainable to me.
Determined to change my narrative,
I turned to education as a beacon of hope.
Education has always been my lifeline,
a way to break free from the cycle
that my past has trapped me in.
I enrolled in community college,
juggling classes with part-time jobs that barely paid the bills.
Every day was a delicate balancing act,
yet I clung to the belief
that education could pave the way for a brighter future.
During this challenging period,
I heard about the ASSET Program, applied for, and was enrolled.
ASSET has served as a lifeline.
The resources, mentorship,
and unconditional support offered are transformative.
Finally, I found a community that believed in second chances
and actively worked to uplift individuals like me,
grappling with the complexities of life after incarceration.
Through ASSET,
I gained essential skills in job training,
financial literacy, and interview techniques.
But more importantly, I connected with others
who understood my struggles and shared a vision,
a resilience, and growth.
When I graduated ASSET,
I continued my human service journey
by securing a position with Catholic Community Services
as a residential -- a resident support staff.
Our residents struggle with mental
and physical health and substance use challenges.
And most have experienced serious trauma.
This foundational experience,
rich with meaningful interactions,
ignited my passion for helping others
and propelled me into my current role as a case manager.
Here I have been able to advocate for individuals
and advocate their complex needs,
further fueling my aspiration to practice law.
Throughout my journey,
the unwavering encouragement and support
for my peers and community
have been instrumental in my development,
providing me with not only knowledge and skills
but also the confidence to pursue my legal ambitions.
Their belief in my potential
has reinforced my commitment to serving others
and striving for justice.
And I am determined to leverage my experience
to make a positive impact in the legal field.
I come back to ask that [inaudible] share my story
with new students who want to gain skills to pursue employment
and use their lived experiences to give back to the community.
I urge you to recognize the countless lives
the program holds the promise of changing, including my own.
Investment initiatives like ASSET
is not merely a matter of funding.
It signifies a commitment
to embrace the possibility of redemption
and the transformative power of education.
Together, we can cultivate a community
that expands home and opportunity
to those who need it most.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, Sam.
One of the other programs that may not --
you may not hear about a lot is what we call HomeWise.
And that's basically a catch-all phrase
for several programs at the Office of Housing,
Weatherization, our Oil-to-Electric
Conversion program, and our Home Repair program.
And that is a program that is free to those
that income qualify. So at this time,
I'd like to introduce to you Rita Latta, a retired nurse.
With support from the Office of Housing's HomeWise program,
Rita received vital home repairs that ensured safety,
comfort, accessibility, and affordability.
Thanks to those upgrades,
she continues to cherish the Seattle home
that she has loved for over 30 years.
Please welcome Rita and her daughter, Christina.
[ Applause ]
-I have trouble getting up.
Thank you very much.
-Do you want me to stand with you or are you --
-No, I'm okay. I'm stable standing.
Hello. -Let's get you --
-I'll have her have this one --
You want me -- -This one works.
I don't know about that one.
-Hello. I'm Rita Latta, and I'm 93 years old, almost 94.
I live in Broadview.
Lived in Magnolia for 20 years,
and later on, moved to Broadview.
I worked at Northwest Hospital for 30 years.
I have a daughter, Christina,
who helped me a great deal in being part of this program.
I could never have done it myself,
doing the paperwork and so on.
We had many people that helped us, like Paula Wolf,
who gave us grants and some loans
which we were able to fix the roof on our house
that was leaking.
Working, I was able to pay the mortgage off on this house.
It was about $265,000 when we bought it.
Of course, now, it's on two lots and worth a whole lot more.
But it needed a lot of repairs, which I --
as the years went, I was unable to pay for those things.
Had no idea there was this program
from the city of Seattle Home Repair.
We had wonderful people like Ian Gould
who guided us through what we needed to do to get repairs.
I had wonderful people who did weatherization.
I remember Kyle Hebron, who supplied us with a new furnace.
The house is very nice and warm.
I had to, before that,
had heating people come in,
and all they needed to do is to put a...
I forgot what it's called, a little thing
to get the furnace going.
But anyhow, $250 every winter for them to fix it.
But now I have a lovely furnace that heats the whole house,
and getting up in the morning,
especially these last cold mornings,
being -- I was able to walk.
I'm able to drive. I'm able to do my housework.
But I didn't think I wanted to go into a retirement home
or long-term care.
I felt that I could still walk, still talk,
and so I wanted to remain in my home.
And this program has been a godsend.
We had weatherization done to the house.
We had the chimney, also, as well as the roof done.
I know I have only about five minutes to talk so I'm trying.
And also, we had the sewer problem solved.
We still have the bathroom with the shower
that needs to have some problems repaired,
and I'm enjoying all the fruits of this program.
And I want to thank all the people who worked with me,
and they were very professional, very kind,
cleaned up after themselves,
and I'm enjoying the fruits of this program.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, Rita. Thank you so much.
-Thank you very much.
Just getting up [inaudible]
-Thank you, Rita.
So, as we wrap up this year's Annual Housing Celebration,
I'm stopping you from the tacos,
so I know that I'm the barrier to your tacos.
I just want to take a moment to say thank you.
I want to say thank you to the residents of Seattle
who support this work through continually voting
for the housing levy.
We really appreciate that
and that really provides a level of stability for the city.
To our resilient housing providers,
who keep people housed.
We could not do the work without you.
To our elected officials,
who work to make things better in the city we call home,
especially my boss,
and to the staff of the Office of Housing
and our sister department.
That's you, Nathan Torgelson,
as well as some of the others who may be here
who make sure that housing, from rentals, to home ownership,
to repair and the weatherization,
is within reach
and maintained well for our residents.
And I want to thank you all for coming here today
and making the time to come here today,
even when the weather may not have seemed all that great.
I know Nona was a little panicked last night
about the not supposed to snow.
"Oh, it's snowing. Oh, what are we doing," right?
So I want to thank you for taking time out of your day
to be here with us.
And as we get ready to step back into the business of our day,
know that we appreciate being here as a part
of the housing community.
Because it takes a community to get this work done,
and it's our joint responsibility
to take care of each other.
And with that, we'll see you next year
at the third annual Affordable Housing Celebration,
Third annual Yay Housing.
But before you leave,
please join us for some Indian tacos from Off the Rez.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]