Island housing nonprofit Vashon HouseHold cut the ribbon on its finished 40-unit Island Center Homes affordable housing development on Dec. 12, marking the conclusion of a seven-year project to expand the island’s thin rental market.

“It’s an amazing lift for us, after working so hard — especially our staff — to see this in person, to be able to show it,” said Vashon HouseHold (VHH) interim executive director Kari Dohn Decker.

Planning, funding development and permitting began in 2017, and the development, located at SW 188th Street and Vashon Highway, broke ground in winter 2022 — despite pandemic-related challenges such as the county’s ability to process and complete the permit and rapidly rising costs of materials.

With construction now finished, Vashon HouseHold hopes to begin moving residents in January, Decker said. VHH expects that it will take several months to process all 40 applicants with their government funding agencies, but they won’t be dragging their feet, she said.

“We’ve been meeting with the county and different agencies … and they seem to be very dedicated also to moving quickly,” she said. “I think there’s a sense of urgency (to get people housed.)”

Decker thanked King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda for supporting the project, and the King County Housing Authority for its help in the days to come. And without the support and funding of King County and the state Commerce department, “we would not even be standing here today,” Decker said.

Decker also thanked Judy Tucker, the owner of Form + Function Architecture, and Alex Crowder, CEO of Crowder Construction, for their work on the project: “They have been amazing partners,” Decker said: “Nimble, creative … responsible and conscientious.”

By using local vendors and subcontractors, Crowder Construction put $1.3 million into the island economy, Decker said — and came in under budget along the way.

This was the company’s first project on an island, Crowder said, and along the way he got to meet subcontractors who shared their own stories about hustling to make ends meet on Vashon.

“I feel like we created five really good buildings that will hopefully make a good impact on the island,” he said in an interview. “The time I spent here, I definitely could see the disparities of have and have not, and the need for what we did here.”

Tucker, the architect, also shared happiness at seeing the project finished: “From the moment you walk onto the property … it kind of draws you in,” she said.

Decker also thanked past leadership of VHH.

“We stand on the shoulders of someone very special,” Decker said, “our most recent former executive director Jason Johnson. … We all miss Jason each and every day.”

Johnson, who recently moved to Colorado to become the executive director of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, said in an interview that it was bittersweet to have to leave just before the project officially finished. But he takes pride in it and leaves Vashon with valuable lessons learned, he said. (Johnson spoke to The Beachcomber as a regular citizen and not on behalf of VHH.)

After working in cities and suburbs where bureaucracies sometimes stifled creativity and momentum, Johnson said, Vashon and the VHH Board of Directors showed another kind of community — “a place where people are extremely creative, have a very ‘we can do this’ kind of attitude,” he said.

“The thing I’ll hold really close is that community’s willingness and action to help support affordable housing,” Johnson said.

And prior to Johnson was former executive director Chris Szala, who “was really the instigator” seven years ago of the Island Center Homes project, Decker said.

She also thanked VHH’s staff, donors, volunteers, current residents, and the membership of the Vashon Lutheran Church next door for their embracing support of the project.

“Residents will have the opportunity to be a part of a diversely connected community,” said Kelly Rider, director of the King County Department of Community and Human Services, “a place where access to services and connection are at or near their doorstep.”

Chris Lovings, community engagement specialist at the Washington State Department of Commerce, speaks to the crowd at Island Center Homes. (John Decker photo)

Chris Lovings, community engagement lead at the Washington State Department of Commerce, praised the project for its accessibility for disabled people, close access to a bus line and usage of a service coordinator.

“There are low income community members who … will now have a roof over their heads in a community that loves and cares for them,” he said. “It’s an honor for Commerce to financially support projects like this.”

Hilary Emmer, care team lead with the Vashon Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness, “has been incredible … day and night in helping us (identify) potential and future residents,” Decker said. “We could never do this without Hilary.”

Emmer said that at last count, the island had 149 homeless people. Island Center Homes won’t solely serve homeless people, but it will help some of them.

“People aren’t housed because of many different reasons, and my rule of thumb is never to ask,” Emmer said. “Everyone is entitled to dignity. These buildings are going to give these people dignity. They’re going to have a place to come home to every single night. They don’t have to worry about which tree they want to be under, or if their sleeping bag is still wet. The people here … will be viewed differently by people on this island, and this means so much to these people, and it means a lot to me. … I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”

Affordable housing is more than a shelter, VHH board member Christy Clement said: It’s a foundation for people to thrive and an investment in keeping the community healthy.

“Island Center Homes represents a vital step in addressing the very, very urgent need for affordable housing, not just on Vashon but across the country,” Clement said. “A need, of course, that has been growing more critical every year that goes by.

Inside Island Center Homes

This community garden, located centrally in Island Center Homes, is one of several shared spaces now finished at the housing development. (Alex Bruell photo)

ICH adds 40 income-qualified rental units to the tight affordable housing inventory on Vashon, and will serve many people on fixed incomes.

It will serve people making 30% or less of the area median income, made up of seniors, people who have experienced homelessness, people using the behavioral health system, and adults with developmental disabilities. The project is funded by the King County Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy, which also requires that 20 of the 40 units be filled with veterans or their immediate family members.

ICH consists of five buildings, each with eight units that have their own bedroom, private bath and small kitchenette. Units share a common room, living space and laundry facilities, as well as a full kitchen area. Two units in each building are ADA accessible.

County zoning would have allowed the property to accommodate as many as 11 buildings, project architect Judy Tucker said during building — but water share limitations meant they had to limit it to five. To manage water usage, each unit uses low-flow toilets, water-controlled faucets and high-efficiency appliances.

Outside are four covered picnic tables, a bicycle shed, and in the middle of the property a “p-patch” garden (the term originates from the Picardo family, who owned a historic farm in Seattle’s Wedgewood neighborhood).

This is also the first congregate residence project allowed under King County code, a pilot demonstration project made possible by a county ordinance passed in 2020. (Congregate residences are those in which tenants share either restrooms, kitchens or both. Residents at ICH will have their own private sleeping areas.)

Rider said the passage of that ordinance was thanks to former council member Joe McDermott and other community leaders — “and four years later, here we are at the homes that they helped build,” she said.

The project “creates a needed pathway for housing models like this in island communities like Vashon.” Rider said.

Rachel Hetrick, housing stewardship manager at Vashon HouseHold, eagerly gave a tour of one of the buildings to the crowd last Thursday. VHH hopes to stock the units with dishes, silverware and pots and pans via community donations.

And plans to have a full-time services coordinator for the property means residents can get access to food, utilities, education support as they need it, Hetrick said.

“I’m someone who got a GED,” she said. “I’ve gone through struggles with my own family. That is part of what got me to where I’m at now. When you have that stability in your housing, (and) you have support of someone who can begin to build a network for you, so much is possible. And one thing that’s important to acknowledge is that this is a housing-first project … meaning that we’re not going to have requirements for sobriety. And I’m very passionate about that … because I don’t think anybody stands a chance at sobriety without support.”

Founded as a nonprofit by community activists in 1990, Vashon HouseHold has long worked to address rental availability on Vashon. It operates more than 100 units spread across several properties on the island, and established a home-sharing initiative last year.

To find out more about all of Vashon HouseHold’s programs, including its portfolio of affordable homeownership properties on Vashon, visit ​vashonhousehold.org.

This article has been corrected. A previous version erroneously quoted VHH interim executive director Kari Dohn Decker.