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Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT) recently announced the acquisition of the former Keiro Rehabilitation and Care Center at 16th and Yesler in the Central District.
According to ACLT, the acquisition will allow the existing building to be used as a temporary community home for the homeless, while ACLT plans to develop approximately 285 affordable housing units on the site.
In 2019, Keiro Northwest’s board of directors sold the site for $ 11 million to a Bellevue-based developer, Shelter Holdings, LLC, which planned to build homes and retail space at market price. After dedicated members of the community and King County Equity Now advocated for anti-displacement and fair development of the site, ACLT agreed to purchase the property for $ 13.84 million. Sources of funding for the acquisition include the city of Seattle and the state of Washington.
Future development plans will provide affordable housing and commercial space at a site that would have become another marker of displacement in the gentrifying central area, and build on the successful development of the Liberty Bank Building on the 24th and 19th. Union.
In the interim and in partnership with the City of Seattle, the ACLT Community Home will provide up to 150 beds to our homeless neighbors. The initial goal of the ACLT is to reduce the overrepresentation of African American men among the homeless. The site will provide comprehensive, trauma-informed and culturally appropriate care and services, including health, education, employment and housing resources.
“We are excited about this opportunity to bring a new model to reduce the overrepresentation of our community members in the homelessness crisis and the long term goal of meeting the need for affordable housing in the Central District and Seattle Said K. Wyking Garrett, Chairman and CEO of Africatown Community Land Trust. “We look forward to continued engagement with many community stakeholders to help achieve these goals. ”
To better meet the needs of the diverse neighborhood of Keiro, ACLT hosted community engagement sessions with Japanese and Pan-Asian community stakeholders, representatives of the Duwamish Indigenous community, neighbors and landlords, and service providers. local.
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