Seattle: Groundbreaking for McDermott Place - for Homeless Vets & Others

Today was the groundbreaking for McDermott Place. These people were instrumental in getting it underway. It is named for Congressman Jim McDernott, who has done so much for vets every since the Vietnam War (psychiatrist, exposer of effects of depleted uranium, advocate for vets from the Bush Wars.) The fellow with the beard is my friend Alan Castle, also a huge advocate for vets and the homeless and for peace. He sent the pictures. He is a Low Income Housing Board Member and celebrated with Congressman Jim McDermott's wife (Jim was unable to be there), House Speaker Frank Chopp, Representative Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, Representative Jim McIntire, State Director of Veterans Affairs John Lee, King County Executive Ron Sims, King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson, Seattle Office of Housing Director Adrienne QuinnHousing Director Adrienne Quinn, North Helpline Executive Director Rita Anderson, and others. Alan's son Josh Castle is also one of my heroes, and he has registered enough voters to make differences in several close elections. Although employed full-time, he is tireless. He travelled to Ohio during the primaries and he spends alot of his weekends organizing others for an Obama victory. Often working with him is Ben Doko, who also volunteers for the Gregoire campaign, and when I came home from work today, my son had been downtown with Ben registering voters at Westlake Mall. Tomorrow is when all new registrations must be turned in (unless done in person for a short period thereafter.)

Info about the facility:

This project will provide 75 permanent affordable units in the Lake City neighborhood of Seattle for homeless individuals, with 38 or more of the units designated specifically for veterans. LIHI is partnering with Sound Mental Health to provide supportive services, including employment & job training at this project. LIHI is delighted to provide affordable housing in one of the most attractive, livable, and walk-able neighborhoods in Seattle. This housing is being funded by the Seattle Office of Housing, King County Veteran & Human Service Levy, Washington State Housing Trust Fund, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, tax credit equity from Key Community Development Corporation, construction loan funds from KeyBank, and land loans from Sterling Bank and US Bank. North Helpline will own a portion of the building, where they will be providing a new Lake City food bank and a free medical clinic staffed by RotaCare volunteers. North Helpline’s funders include: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, King County, City of Seattle, Seattle Foundation, and the State of Washington.

For more information about the Low Income Housing Institute, please visit LIHI