By Jeff Richards, Issaquah Press, Jan 20 2009, 7:51pm - UPDATED

Currently, nothing but an empty lot exists at the intersection of 25th Street and Northeast Logan Street. But this year, Habitat for Humanity of East King County will begin construction on 10 new homes that will provide affordable housing in Issaquah Highlands.

Habitat Executive Director Tom Granger said he is excited to see development in a location that is great for families, with developing commerce and a close proximity to transit.

“A diverse community is a healthy community,” he said. “Now, hard-working, hourly wage earners can continue to live in the place they were born and raised.”

Habitat construction manager Lee Brannam said he hopes to begin work on the infrastructure by April, which would keep builders on schedule to finish the homes by 2012.

Construction will consist of five buildings, each a duplex. This is the first Habitat for Humanity development in Issaquah since the construction of two homes on Front Street more than a decade ago.

Habitat for Humanity is a national nonprofit organization, which seeks to develop affordable housing for low-income families. The homes are built with the help of community donations and volunteer work, and are sold to chosen applicants for the cost it took to build the home.

Habitat for Humanity relies on an approximately 90-percent volunteer force in order to build homes.

“Usually, most of [the volunteers] are company groups from places like Microsoft or Boeing, not a lot from trades,” Brannam said. “We do have six to 10 regulars who come out every year and are very skilled.”

Brannam said Habitat usually receives about 3,500 volunteers, split between two construction sites. Volunteers work beside AmeriCorps staff members, who supervise the work.

“When they volunteer, they get to see [AmeriCorps] in action,” Granger said.

Habitat homeowners are chosen based on their need, their ability to pay the mortgage, and they must have had a residence or employment in King County for at least one year.

To be eligible for Habitat housing, the household cannot make more than 50 percent of the median income, which was $32,550 for a household of two for King County in 2008.

Granger said Habitat will begin accepting applications at its first information meeting at the end January; decisions will be made on who will be awarded sale of the homes by the time construction begins this summer.

As a down payment, residents pay 500 hours worth of sweat equity by helping with the construction of their own home and their neighbors’ homes.

The homes will be constructed under the Built Green program of the Master Builders Association, which means standards will be in place for water quality and conservation, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and use of building materials in a manner that conserves limited resources.

The Issaquah Highlands must contain at least 30 percent affordable housing, according to the development agreement between the city of Issaquah and Port Blakely Communities, the developer of the highlands.

The agreement contains three levels of affordable living: low income, for people earning less than 80 percent of the median income in King County; moderate income, for people earning between 80 and 100 percent of the median income; and middle income, for people earning between 100 and 120 percent of the median income.

All affordable housing units must adhere to the architectural guidelines of the Issaquah Highlands.

The goal of affordable housing is to provide a home for local employees with low incomes, such as schoolteachers and police officers.

Since its founding in 1988, the East King County branch has built 86 homes.

Habitat for Humanity will have information meetings beginning in January. There, people can learn more about Habitat and whether they are eligible for Habitat housing.

If you go:
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Information Meeting
6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 2, March 3
Public meeting room
Library Administration Service Center
960 Newport Way N.W.
369-3200

On the Web:
Learn more about Habitat for Humanity of East King County at www.habitatekc.org.

Reach intern Jeff Richards at 392-6434, ext. 236, or isspress@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.
Written by Jeff Richards · Filed Under Local News

By JAKE LYNCH Issaquah Reporter Editor Jan 07 2009, 6:46 PM · UPDATED

Habitat for Humanity this week confirmed plans to build 10 homes in the Issaquah Highlands for low income families.

Habitat Construction Manager Lee Brannam told The Reporter that they hoped to begin work in April of this year, and suggested 2012 as the completion date for the five duplex, 10 home project.

The Habitat site is the latest in an ongoing program of affordable housing projects approved by the City of Issaquah, as it seeks to fulfill its mandate for a minimum of 10 percent of housing in new developments to be made available to low income earners.

Habitat for Humanity completed the purchase of the one acre property in recent weeks, made possible by donations and grant funding.

The property is on the west side of Northeast Magnolia Street, between Northeast Logan and Northeast Mulberry Streets.

Habitat for Humanity is an internationally recognized non-profit group with a stated mission to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

The latest project continues Issaquah’s relationship with Habitat, following the city’s donation of surplus utility land on Front Street to the group nearly two decades ago.

Habitat built two houses on that site, near the intersection with 2nd Avenue Southeast.

Brannam said that he would work closely with the Issaquah Highlands Community Association and developer Port Blakely Communities regarding establishing architectural guidelines.

The Habitat homes will be built to a 4-star Built Green standard, a program that evaluates housing construction in its environmental sensitivity to water conservation, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality.

The Habitat project will adhere to the established guidelines of the Issaquah Highlands Architectural Review Committee.

Habitat’s purchase of the land was in keeping with Port Blakely’s commitment to set land in the highlands aside to fill the need of low income families.

In a 2006 meeting of the City of Issaquah Economic Vitality Task Force, members stated that “housing costs in Issaquah are increasingly exceeding the financial reach of many low- to moderate-wage workers, and thus are negatively impacting the quality of life in the community.”

The City of Issaquah defines housing as affordable if it costs no more than 30 percent of the family’s income.

East King County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Tom Granger said this week that the city, Port Blakely, and the Issaquah Highlands Community Association had been very supportive and welcoming, and that the inability of people to live and own homes in the areas they grew up in was bad for communities and society.

“We have essentially driven low income people out of our communities,” he said. “The people that communities rely on to sustain standards of living, whether they be hairdressers or farm workers, typically hourly wage earners, are on the highways driving for hours because they can’t afford to live anywhere near where they work.”

In May the Issaquah City Council approved a YWCA project featuring 155 rental housing units as well as a 4,000-square-foot community services campus.

Issaquah City Mayor Ava Frisinger said this week the problem of wage earners not being able to afford housing in eastern Washington was increasing every year.

“We are seeing more families having to spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing,” she said. “That means that there is less left over for them to spend on vital services like health care. “18 months ago, the median price for a house in east King County was more than $600,000.”

To qualify to buy a Habitat for Humanity home, a family must earn 50 percent or less of the area median income, which is taken from a number of Eastside cities.

The area median income for a family of 2 is $65,000.

Families must also be able to demonstrate a stable employment history, and cannot have owned a home before.

Snoqualmie Ridge, Washington – January 2, 2009 - 2 More Families Become Homeowners at the Koinonia Ridge Development in Snoqualmie

Two home dedications will take place at Snoqualmie Ridge on Saturday, January 10, 2009. The McKenzie-Munro family and the Willhight-Harris family will celebrate becoming first-time homeowners. Since December 2001, 39 Habitat families have become homeowners in the Koinonia Ridge development.

After being illegally evicted from their apartment in Bellevue, Jillian Munro and Chris McKenzie and their two children, Tyson, 5 and Tobias, 1, were forced to move to Snohomish where they paid almost $1,000 rent per month for a home that had visible water damage, black mold, mice infestation, faulty electrical wiring and a chimney that leaked water during rainy months.

The family looks forward to creating new friends in their stable community and having a permanent home for their children to grow up in. The McKenzie-Munro family is purchasing a refurbished three-bedroom home from HFHEKC.

Jason Willhight and Melinda Harris, life-long residents of East King County, are the parents of five children, Erica, 9, Isaiah, 7, twin girls Caitlyn and Chloe, 4, and Caleb 2.

For the last three and a half years, the family has lived in a three-bedroom, two-bath home in North Bend. Aside from being overcrowded, with the five children sharing two of the bedrooms, there are many structural problems with the home. This includes inadequate plumbing resulting in toilet leaks, broken showers, and no hot water in the bath. The home is drafty due to lack of insulation and mold is a constant battle.

The Willhight-Harris family is purchasing a refurbished four-bedroom home from HFHEKC.

The Home Dedications will take place on Saturday, January 10, 2009, at 3 p.m. in the Koinonia Ridge Community Center, 36912 SE Gravenstein Court, Snoqualmie, WA 98065.

Habitat for Humanity East King County empowers families, builds community, and creates hope through an aggressive home-building ministry.

Its vision is to make it possible for all residents of East King County to live in simple, decent, affordable housing through homeownership. Habitat for Humanity East King County is a grassroots, Christian community organization that constructs homes in a self-help, homeownership program.

For more information, interviews, high-resolution photos, etc., contact Jodi Bridges, Special Events and Communications Officer, Habitat for Humanity East King County at 425-869-6007 or via e-mail at jbridges@habitatekc.org.

Redmond, Washington – December 29, 2008 - Fifteen Families Celebrate the Holidays in Their New Habitat Homes in 2008.

When you think about the housing right now, it can be a downer. Prices are falling, qualifying for loans is more challenging than ever, and homes can languish on the market for months.

But, for the new Habitat families in East King County, the word “home” can brighten up their whole faces. That is because these families spent the holidays in their own home for the first time in their lives thanks to Habitat for Humanity of East King County.

One of these families is the Chapman Family: Jennifer, Austin, 13 and Morgan, 5. Before being accepted as a Habitat Partner Family, the Chapmans lived in an unsafe neighborhood in Renton. A social studies teacher, Jennifer worked part-time at as many as 4 schools at a time. She wanted to be able to give her children a safe, stable home, which she found through Habitat EKC.

After moving into their 3 bedroom home at Koinonia Ridge in Snoqualmie, Jennifer has stayed involved with Habitat by using her teaching skills to create a class focused on introducing the rules and regulations of a Home Owner’s Association to new Habitat homeowners.

The family has enjoyed hiking the Snoqualmie Ridge Trail System and getting to know their neighbors. Beyond all else, Jennifer is delighted to finally be able to provide her family a real home.

Even more cheerful news that these homes would not be possible without the generosity of our community. Volunteers in the form of 3700 individuals have contributed their sweat and skills into the building of these homes this year. And over 1,500 donors have financially supported the construction.

Building material prices have dropped giving Habitat the ability to leverage dollars further.

And more good news is that the organization has over 50 units to build on the land it has acquired to develop in the communities of Carnation, Issaquah, Snoqualmie and Renton in the next several years. For some lucky families, 2009 will be a good year for them, too.

So, yes, the housing situation may not be what it was a year ago. But for these families that’s just the point.

Habitat for Humanity East King County empowers families, builds community, and creates hope through an aggressive home-building ministry.

Its vision is to make it possible for all residents of East King County to live in simple, decent, affordable housing through homeownership. Habitat for Humanity East King County is a grassroots, Christian community organization that constructs homes in a self-help, homeownership program.

For more information, interviews, high-resolution photos, etc., contact Jodi Bridges, Special Events and Communications Officer, Habitat for Humanity East King County at 425-869-6007 or via e-mail at jbridges@habitatekc.org.