Plymouth Housing Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing for Formerly Homeless in Seattle

Plymouth Housing today celebrated the groundbreaking of an affordable housing development in downtown to deliver 91 permanent housing apartments for adults who have previously experienced homelessness. The nonprofit housing developer was the recipient of low income tax credits early last year as part of an expansion to the Affordable Housing Tax Credit program championed by Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Suzan DelBene. The project closed on financing in December.

“Congratulations to Plymouth Housing on breaking ground on this new project to provide 91 new units of permanent, affordable housing for formerly homeless people in Seattle,” said Cantwell. “This project and so many others throughout our state demonstrate the power of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit to help our communities provide resources to help people in our state and across the country.”

Plymouth Housing CEO Paul Lambros remarked, “The realization of the 2nd & Mercer site is a tremendous success story in the struggle against homelessness—it will provide permanent housing for adults, including veterans, who are recovering from life on the streets and create a new arts space in the Seattle Center neighborhood. Even more so, it demonstrates that coordinated efforts at the local, regional and national level matched with commitment from the community brings real results: homes for those without.”

The City of Seattle is also providing major funding for the project. The city’s Office of Housing and Office of Arts and Culture made a first-time joint investment in an affordable housing and arts space. The 2nd & Mercer project features a ground-floor space for Path with Art, a local organization that utilizes art as a means to assist people recovering from homelessness, addiction or other trauma. In addition to operating out of this new building, Path with Art will offer classes and community arts space.

The 2nd & Mercer site is the second of eight new buildings planned by the nonprofit housing developer to meet the need for housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness in King County. Slated to open in 2021, the groundbreaking represents a major milestone in the PROOF Capital Campaign launched by Plymouth Housing in June 2019.

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Kristin Benson Place

SSF provided structural engineering for this project with SMR Architects.