King County announces new purchase agreements for Health Through Housing properties totalling $96 million

Dow Constantine (Left) and Jenny Durkan at site of new housing development

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the plan for acquisition of the Health Through Housing program’s sixth, seventh and eighth properties. The three buildings, in Federal Way, Pioneer Square and North Seattle, will soon provide housing for up to 313 people experiencing homelessness. This brings the total capacity of the eight buildings to 850. 

“For too long, we’ve let process stand in the way of progress, and with our regional partners across King County we have acted swiftly to purchase the first eight Health Through Housing properties, a substantial step forward in our regional solution to chronic homelessness,” Constantine said at a press conference.

Constantine and Mayor Jenny Durkan were present at the media event outside the newly developed Canton Lofts in Pioneer Square, which the city purchased from developer Nitze-Stagen and will provide 80 housing units for homeless individuals. 

"The sale of Canton Lofts to King County is a great example of how the public and private sectors can work together to address a pressing challenge - the chronic shortage of attainable housing," said Peter Nitze, CEO of Nitze-Stagen, in a press release. "Nitze-Stagen has been investing in Pioneer Square for decades, and we remain confident in its future and believe this transaction takes advantage of a singular confluence of factors to make a positive impact."

The North Seattle and Federal Way buildings are both former Extended Stay America locations, and the city will repurpose existing units. This commitment continues the program which was launched by Constantine last year, and brings the total investment by the city to $198 million. Mayor Durkan was hopeful about the future of the program. 

“With Health Through Housing and Seattle's 1300 homes for individuals experiencing homelessness, we are on the verge of opening a transformational number of new homes to make progress on this crisis,” Durkan said at the media event. “Moving unsheltered residents to safer and healthier spaces, and ensuring those resources are available throughout the county wherever individuals experience housing instability, is one of the important ways we are working to stabilize and support our most vulnerable neighbors in their journey to permanent housing.”