(Image: DESC)
Money from $108 million in Seattle Housing Levy funds will go to support affordable housing across the city and new developments across Capitol Hill and the Central District including a new “supportive housing” facility from the Downtown Emergency Service Center planned for Belmont Ave.
Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the funding this week, marking the first full allocation of funds from Seattle’s newly approved 2023 Housing Levy.
“This funding, awarded through the 2024 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), will support the construction of 655 new affordable homes, an important step in increasing Seattle’s housing stock to meet growing demand and ensure long-term affordability,” the announcement reads.
Included on the roster of supported projects is the 120-unit apartment building with onsite services for its residents from the DESC. CHS reported here on the project as officials have been meeting with the community following a $6.5 million property deal that put a trio of former transitional housing buildings from Pioneer Human Services in the hands of DESC.
DESC’s facilities employ “around-the-clock staff” as well as on-site services like mental health and addiction programs. DESC says the Belmont project’s primary aim “is to help individuals achieve housing success with a focus on stability.”
Other area projects supported with the levy funding will include a senior housing project from Catholic Housing Services on First Hill, and Sweetgrass Flats, a supportive housing project from Chief Seattle Club planned for the Central District.
Rental Housing Investments: $108.2 million
| Building Name Sponsor |
Population to be Served | Homes | Neighborhood |
| Belmont DESC |
Permanent Supportive Housing | 120 | Capitol Hill |
| Chancery Place Catholic Housing Services |
Seniors | 85 | First Hill |
| Greenwood Nest Apartments Together, We Grow (TWG Development) and Ethiopian Community in Seattle |
Low-income families and individuals | 92 | Greenwood |
| Lexington and Concord YWCA |
Homeless and low-income families and individuals | 83 | Belltown |
| Little Saigon Landmark Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) |
Low-income families | 70 | Chinatown-International District |
| Sweetgrass Flats Chief Seattle Club |
Permanent Supportive Housing | 84 | Central District |
| Vivo South SRM and Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle |
Low-income families and individuals | 121 | Lower Queen Anne/Uptown |
What if inflation happens and these projects are not feasible? Like what happens to the 108 million dollars?
i’d like the other 300 million they stole from the fund.
Go walk around the DESC buildings in Pioneer Square. DESC kills neighborhoods.
Yeah, it’s easy to see why people don’t want these being developed near their homes.
That must be why fancy pants Mercer Island French bakery L’Experience Paris just announced a new store in Pioneer Square? The higher minimum wage and DESC are killing Seattle! Lol
Definitely. Belmont Ave, closer to the Pine street already has apartments tailored to homeless and those with criminal background. There are enough problems already, because of it. Now they want to add and people living here just don’t care, until it hit them hard. I stead of building more affordable housing for the families and working adults, they are putting here those who on drugs and don’t want to do anything with their lives. Why? Why here? It’s a mystery for me.
I agree with you completely. I’m against anymore of these apartments being built on the hill and am in favor of more affordable housing apartments for working adults and families. The rest of the neighborhood would benefit from it in multiple ways.
The activist groups were ones who pushed the previous city councils into getting these buildings placed on Capitol Hill. This of course occurred pre-pandemic and before we started to see how meth and fentanyl addicts have been negatively impacting Capitol Hill.
DESC properties cause crime and drug abuse. Capitol Hill has already seen a significant change in problems since 2020 and several new LIHI buildings going in. We could use a break from being the city’s dumping ground for drug addicted, mental health crises people. We’ve added several hundred of these already since 2020, and local crime and OD rates have not yet recovered. DESC promotes itself as having staff to address these issues but it’s all window dressing and marketing.
Contact CW Hollingsworth with your concerns. She and her team don’t actively read this blog and the comments. She needs to hear from Capitol Hill residents who oppose and have concerns to DESC and LIHI buildings.
I live in DESC and work two jobs, full-time. I am college educated, I vote, am the Community Block Watch Captain, participate in Adopt A Street, and regularly pickup trash. I call Find It, Fix It regularly and report graffiti and other concerns. I think it odd really, that everytime I read about DESC buildings, comments are about the drug addicts and drunks that are mentally ill and ruining the neighborhood. I take offense. I am an exceptional neighbor as are many other DESC residents and anyone would be lucky to have me as a neighbor. Please inform yourself before using all of the stereotypes. I don’t use Meth nor do I waste my life doing drugs. I do however live in Supportive Housing and contribute to my community, neighborhood and the City as a whole.
Alice, I think you’re the exception to what most of Seattle has experienced with DESC projects. But, thank you for being a good citizen. Very admirable to work two jobs and contribute to your community. Public Housing should be for people like you–not drug addicts and criminals
Whenever a DESC project goes into a neighborhood there is a big jump in crime.
DESC is basically a death wish for neighborhoods.
Look at any DESC project and overlay a crime map.