City of Seattle Awards Final Site in Rainier Valley Affordable Homeownership Initiative
Today, the Seattle Office of Housing (OH) shares the final site transfer and award under the Rainier Valley Affordable Homeownership Initiative (RVAHI). OH is awarding $2.64 million to Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties (Habitat SKKC) and Jabooda Cares. The two groups will work together to build 18 permanently affordable homes at 6701 Martin Luther King Jr Way S. With these new homes, the initiative will create 127 permanently affordable homes to buy in the Rainier Valley, passing the original goal of 100.
“For too long, homeownership has felt out of reach for working-class families and communities of color in Seattle, the very neighbors most likely to be pushed out of the neighborhoods they helped build,” said Mayor Katie B. Wilson. “These new homes from Habitat and Jabooda Cares open the door to ownership. When we make investments like this, we help families stay rooted here, building a future that stays with them for generations. This is how we build a Seattle that everyone can call home. I’m proud of the work done through the Rainier Valley Affordable Homeownership Initiative to bring investments back to the Rainier Valley.”
The City selected these developers based on their commitment to use Seattle’s community preference policy and the project’s overall design. Habitat SKKC and Jabooda Cares know affordable homeownership helps people with deep roots in Seattle and the Rainier Valley stay in the community they know and love. Jabooda Cares brings more than 15 years of experience and connection to the Rainier Valley and as part of this award will lead outreach to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) and other underserved communities near the site.
When completed, the development will include 14 two-bedroom homes and 4 three-bedroom homes at a deeply affordable price for households with incomes up to 80% of the area median income. The development will also have a ground floor community space.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to own a home and build a future in the community they love,” said Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine. “Sound Transit is proud of our history of working with the city and community partners to support the expansion of affordable homeownership in the Rainier Valley and help keep the neighborhoods around our stations vibrant, diverse and connected.”
This award is the last of 10 sites awarded through the RVAHI, a partnership between the City of Seattle and Sound Transit that began in 2022. Its purpose is to reduce displacement and help more people buy homes in the Rainier Valley. For all 10 sites, Sound Transit transferred surplus land to the City of Seattle at no cost, which keeps development costs low. Three of these sites are already complete, and seven, including this project, are in various stages of development.
For more information about the Rainier Valley Affordable Homeownership Initiative, visit Seattle Office of Housing RVAHI webpage.
What People Are Saying
Councilmember Eddie Lin, District 2
“It’s so exciting to see the Office of Housing announcing the final award for the Rainier Valley Affordable Homeownership Initiative, something I had the opportunity to work on and support over the past 7 years. This Initiative has been a resounding success, turning vacant underused lots into affordable homes for generations to come. I want to give an enormous thanks to everyone who helped make this a reality, and especially to Sound Transit for being such a strong partner.”
Brett D’Antonio, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties
“At Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties, we believe affordable homeownership is one of the most powerful ways families can build lasting stability. We’re proud to partner with Jabooda Cares to bring 18 new, permanently affordable homes to the Rainier Valley — designed with the community and its cultures in mind and preserving affordable homeownership opportunities for generations to come. We’re grateful to the City of Seattle Office of Housing for its continued investment in affordable homeownership and for helping make projects like this possible.”
Kaitlyn Huynh, Board President, Jabooda Cares
“I have been developing in the Rainier Valley for over 15 years, and I did not know affordable housing options like these programs existed. That is what this moment means to me, not just the homes we will build, but the door that has been opened for people like me to give back to a community I have grown alongside. We are grateful to the Seattle Office of Housing for their support and to Habitat for Humanity for being a trusted partner who believed in us. Everyone deserves a place to call home.”
Robert Luu, Executive Director, Jabooda Cares
“For too many families in our community, asking for help feels like shame. Jabooda Cares was built to reach those families – AANHPI households nearly invisible in homeownership programs, culturally raised to carry their needs quietly and alone. As a new nonprofit, we exist because of the vision of the Seattle City Council and the Seattle Office of Housing – policymakers who believe that community-led organizations, and the families they serve, deserve a seat at the table. We are honored to help those families finally plant roots in the Rainier Valley.”
Kelli Larsen, Acting Director, Seattle Office of Housing
“These investments create a path to homeownership for families who want to stay in the Rainier Valley and build their futures here. The city’s community preference policy helps us center the people who already have connections to this neighborhood, prioritizing them for these new homeownership opportunities. Our partners’ outreach and engagement with community will help ensure equitable access for families in this neighborhood.”
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