Homestead Community Land Trust News

Finding Stability and Building Community in West Seattle

It’s been about a month since Darcy Rael and Israel Juarez got the keys to their new home, and they still can’t quite believe they aren’t going to have to move anytime soon. 

Before purchasing their townhome, moving around was the norm for the family. Since four-year-old Naomi was born, they have moved at least once a year, usually because their rent was going to go up if they stayed. 

They lived in Indiana, where Darcy and Israel met, and they lived in Sammamish. They moved when they had to, hoping that someday they would find stability for their family.

“We were so tired of moving,” Darcy said, “and it started getting really hard on our daughter once she was in preschool.”

The family dreamed of staying put in an affordable home that they loved. Darcy and Israel dreamed of their kids getting to know a neighborhood and calling it their own, making friends and being able to keep them. When they lived in Sammamish, they dreamed of getting back to the Seattle area — where Darcy grew up and went to college — and finding a more diverse community in which to raise their children. 

They knew that homeownership was the way to get the stability their family needed, but it seemed out of reach. Even though they were initially denied a home loan, Darcy and Israel didn’t give up. They found a great real estate agent and they kept exploring their options. They eventually found Homestead, where they met with Homeownership Program Director Lindsey Sargent, and learned about the Valtera Townhomes in West Seattle. 

Now they are homeowners, in a Seattle neighborhood that they love.

Israel has a short commute to his job as manager of the Southcenter Goodwill. And Darcy, a teacher, is excited to have enrolled Naomi in a nearby bilingual preschool that prides itself on its multi-cultural curriculum and affordability for working families.

Reflecting on what it means to be homeowners, Darcy and Israel thanked Homestead for helping the family purchase their first home, saying, “The stability you have given our children is priceless.”

By making a commitment to stewarding the permanent affordability of their new home, Darcy, Israel, Naomi and Rafael are giving their community a priceless gift as well!

Nova Townhomes Celebrate Grand Opening!

On February 18th, Homestead and the Low Income Housing Institute gathered with their supporters to celebrate the grand opening of the Nova Townhomes, 15 units of permanently affordable housing in a vibrant neighborhood near the International District.

The community’s first home sold in late February to proud first-time homeowners Annie Bach and Robert Hamm.  The grand opening was a festive event, with words of support from community leaders such as Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith and Seattle City Council Member Nick Licata.

Thanks to everyone who joined us in celebrating this remarkable achievement and to the project’s key funding partners: the City of Seattle Office of Housing, the Washington State Housing Trust Fund, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, Key Bank, Charter Bank, US Bank, and JPMorgan Chase.

Homeowner Anniversaries!

Congrats to Homestead homeowners celebrating their anniversaries this winter and spring! All of them deserve a big thank you for their partnership with Homestead and their commitment to stewarding affordability for future homeowners!

January

Ayalnesh Gesese and Nurri Omer
Jo Scozzafava

February

Ezra Basom
Mayra Castanos
David Evans
Chris Laroche
Tina Lathrop

March

Willow Kelly
Amy Larson

April

Ariam Abadi and Nega Belay
Brian Allen
Yenifer Baynes
Peter Graff
Katharine Grubb
Mijo Lee
Kendra Lyonais
Susan Moore
James Nail
Cuong and Loi Nguyen

Homeowner Profile: How Baby Gus Got his Groove On...

By Rebecca Lane, Development & Communications Director

When Shelley Stoltey and Josh Englehardt found their incredibly cool split level home in Beacon Hill, they were over the moon. 

Josh grew up in Seattle, and had nearly given up on being able to afford a home in which he and his wife could raise their son, Gus.  Homestead provided the solution they’d been looking for. Josh and Shelley started house hunting at the first of the year, and met the seller who had been raised in that house. With the support of Homestead’s Advantage Program, they closed on their home in time to plant a summer garden. 

Baby Gus had ideas about his new home, too. In the cramped, 700 square foot apartment in which the family had been living, Gus was able to reach every corner of their living room simply by rotating while sitting down. The week they got into their new home, Gus began to crawl then stand, and soon was making attempts at walking. He is now taking his first steps! 

Gus finally had the room to make this big developmental plunge that is so significant in every child’s life – and in their parents’ lives too. Shelley and Josh laugh as they recall this pivotal stage in their family’s life, and the challenges it created as new homeowners just getting settled in. They wouldn’t have it any other way.

You Make a Difference In Your Community!

By Rebecca Lane, Development & Communications Director

Homestead recently received an unexpected gift from the sister of one of our homeowners. In her note she talked about what a difference having a stable home has made for her sister, who is a single parent with a young child. 

She’s watched with great delight as her nephew has grown confident in school, made friends in the neighborhood, and welcomed those friends to play at his house. 

She has also noticed her sister’s well-being bloom. She closed her note with the wish that many more families could have the good fortune that her dear sister has had as a Homestead homeowner. Her gift will assure that this wish comes true!

The generosity of Homestead’s friends and supporters is an affirmation of the value of affordable, stable and safe homes in our communities. Each gift brings another family closer to being able to afford a home. Indeed, each gift will continue to give as these homes stay affordable for succeeding generations of buyers. 

More than a one-time investment, every dollar assures that these homes stay affordable forever. Each and every gift is a major gift at Homestead, because the impact is so significant in the lives of real people.

Thank you for your generosity, and for considering Homestead in your giving this year.

Homeowner Anniversaries!

Congrats to Homestead homeowners celebrating their anniversaries this fall and winter! All of them deserve a big thank you for their partnership with Homestead and their commitment to stewarding affordability for future homeowners! 

Analia Castaños & Len Davis
Mayra Laura Castaños
David Evans
Jane Fairchild
Ayalnesh Gesese & Nurri Omer
Laura Johnson
Chris Laroche
Tina Lathrop
Michael Lovelady
Michelle Nelson
Mouang Saely & Sakhun Thun
Jo Scozzafava

A Place Called Home: Building Stability and Health through Homeownership

By Rebecca Lane, Development and Communications Director

Last fall, Yen Baynes attended an orientation class that Laura Evans gave at St. James Place in White Center. She applied, and was surprised to find out that she was purchase-ready to shop for a home through Homestead’s Advantage program.  Yen spent the early part of 2009 looking for a home, relying on help from COHO Realtor Tonya Hennen. 

A year earlier, Yen and her young son, Alek, had been sharing a sub-par two bedroom rental with three friends, the only housing she could afford after her recent divorce. Allergies and asthma from which she had suffered as a child were triggered by the mold and mites in the apartment, and she required daily medication. Worst of all, her son was also suffering from asthma, triggered by conditions in the run-down apartment. The sacrifice of living in an unsafe and crowded apartment had seemed to be the only way she could get out of poverty before Alek reached grade school. 

After hearing Laura talk about Homestead Community Land Trust, Yen realized that the best path to her family’s stability, health, and self-sufficiency was by owning a home.

She stayed on a tight budget, saving much of her wages, and her savings were multiplied through United Way’s Individual Development Account (IDA) Savings Program*. In April, she closed on a lovely home in her neighborhood, within walking distance to many shops, only minutes from work, and on the same block as the community center where she first heard Laura speak!

Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, Yen and her family moved frequently. Her parents grew up in a very poor neighborhood; for them, prospering for their children took precedence over stability. Her parents worked to make a better life for their family by moving, and the family rarely stayed in one place for more than a year.

Now, Yen is planning what colors to paint her living room. She and Alek are living in the same home they will be in throughout his school years. Yen is giving her son the stability she longed for as a child. She also landed her dream job working with Open Arms Perinatal Services, providing birth support and community outreach to families in the White Center neighborhood where she lives. Because her house payments are so manageable, Yen can focus on saving for the future and settling in, staying rooted in one place called home.

* IDA is administered by the United Way of King County

Directions to Homestead Office

Directions to Homestead Community Land Trust Office:

El Centro de la Raza Building
2524 16th Avenue South, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98144

From Link Light Rail:

Get off the train at the BEACON HILL STATION - we are only a block away!
Exit the station via the elevators - you will see the large El Centro de la Raza building to your right.
Walk EAST on 16th Ave S.
The entrance to the El Centro building will be midway down the block.

From I-5 Northbound:

Take the WEST SEATTLE FREEWAY/COLUMBIAN WAY exit, exit number 163.
Keep RIGHT at the fork in the ramp.
Merge onto COLUMBIAN WAY S.
Turn LEFT onto South SPOKANE ST.
Turn LEFT onto BEACON AVE S.
Turn LEFT onto S LANDER ST.   
Turn LEFT onto 16TH AVE S.

From I-5 Southbound:

Take the W SEATTLE FWY/COLUMBIAN WAY exit, exit number 163A.
Keep LEFT at the fork in the ramp.
Merge onto COLUMBIAN WAY S.
Turn LEFT onto South SPOKANE ST.
Turn LEFT onto BEACON AVE S.
Turn LEFT onto S LANDER ST.   
Turn LEFT onto 16TH AVE S.

From I-90 Westbound:

Take the RAINIER AVE. SOUTH exit, exit number 3A.
Merge onto RAINIER AVE S/WA-167.
Turn RIGHT onto S MCCLELLAN ST. Turn RIGHT onto 21ST AVE S.
Turn LEFT onto S MCCLELLAN ST.
Turn LEFT onto 17TH AVE S.
Turn RIGHT onto S MCCLELLAN ST.
Turn RIGHT onto BEACON AVE S.
Turn LEFT onto S LANDER ST.   
Turn LEFT onto 16TH AVE S.

From Downtown Seattle by Bus:

Metro Route 36

(Downtown Seattle, Pacific Medical Center, Beacon Hill, Jefferson Park, VA Hospital, Rainier Beach )

Click here for a map of our office location.

“This is Mine!” Coming Full Circle, Coming Home

By Rebecca Lane, Development and Communications Director

David Evans has come full circle. From the brownstone in Boston in which he spent his childhood, to the beautiful new condo in a heritage building in Madison Park, David feels like he’s come home.

When David moved to Seattle, the meteoric rise of housing prices was just beginning its most recent round. While dreaming of a place to call his own, with maybe a yard for a dog, David looked and looked and looked…and then knew he had to stop looking. Despite a stable job as a full time professional chef at an upscale and well known establishment, everything was out of reach.  Recalling his childhood home, David reflected upon the similarities between Boston and Seattle. The feel of this city, the topography, its streets and neighborhood names all reminded him of home. Finding his home in Seattle had become a dream deferred.

The evening of November 19, 2008 changed everything for David. At a Homestead Advantage program information session, he decided to apply that night.  Having done his research into affordable housing programs, David knew he was a fit for Homestead, and community land trust ownership.  He qualified, and met with Tonya Hennen, his real estate agent (he calls her a Real Estate Goddess!).

Less than six months later, David has moved into his beautiful condo, with a view of the Cascades and Lake Washington. His home is the second place he saw, on the first day of shopping for a home he knew he could finally afford thanks to the Advantage program. The building is like his childhood home. The neighborhood is walkable, and he can ride his bike or take public transit to work - no long car commute. This means David will be able to stay in his enviable job for years to come, pay a mortgage at a reasonable rate, and remain protected from the vagaries of a fluctuating market.

David loves to cook classic French and Italian cuisines. Hazelnut soufflés were his most recent innovation.  He is twenty years into his profession, and is still young. Now that he’s moved in to his own home, he can follow other dreams - he’s learning to play electric guitar. He is enthusiastic about being a Homestead owner, and a part of a community of homeowners. He looks around every morning and realizes that “this is mine!” Welcome to the community David!

Homeowner Anniversaries!

Congrats to the following Homestead homeowners! Some are celebrating their first anniversary as homeowners, others their third or fourth, and one is Homestead’s very first homeowner, celebrating her seventh anniversary! All of them deserve a big thank you for their partnership with Homestead and their commitment to stewarding affordability for future homeowners!

JANUARY
Nurri Omer and Ayalnesh Gesese

FEBRUARY
Ezra Basom
Tina Lathrop     
Chris LaRoche

MARCH
Amy Larson
Michael Smith and Willow Kelly

APRIL
Brian Allen        
Nega Belay and Ariam Abadi
Peter Graff        
Mijo Lee        
Kendra Lyonais and Jay Austin
Susan Moore        
James Nail
Cuong and Loi Nguyen

MAY
Dejene Tesema and Mulunesh  Tenagne

JUNE
Ahmed Mohamed and Safiyo Elmi
Fawn Proctor
Janna Wachter