SEATTLE (June 29, 2016) – Today Mayor Ed Murray celebrated 77 new apartments being built to provide permanent supportive housing to homeless individuals in our city. Plymouth Housing Group’s 7th & Cherry building (710 Cherry Street) joins 127 other affordable housing buildings supported by funding from the City of Seattle that provide stable housing for people experiencing homelessness. In total, the City has funded over 3,500 homes to provide people who are homeless the stability and services they need.
“Today’s groundbreaking represents progress,” said Murray. “It is also a sign of what this City and its partners can do when we invest in strategies that work. Our ‘Housing First’ strategy works. It’s an often untold story that we’re here to tell today. Time and again, when we are able to get people into permanent supportive housing like this, it is the most effective way to help them overcome the underlying causes of homelessness.”
In January 2016, there were nearly 3,000 individuals living without shelter in Seattle. Another 3,200 people were in shelters and transitional housing at the same time. In November 2015, Mayor Murray declared a state of emergency for homelessness and proposed a number of strategies to address the issue such as increasing resources for permanent supportive housing like 7th and Cherry. The 7th and Cherry project is supported with $7.7 million in City funds, primarily from the 2009 Seattle Housing Levy.
“The prior Seattle Housing Levies have been a critical source of funding for Plymouth’s affordable housing properties,” said Paul Lambros, executive director of Plymouth Housing Group. “Plymouth’s newest project at 7th and Cherry is one example of our response to the Mayor’s state of emergency declaration around homelessness. This project will build on our ‘housing is healthcare’ model and provide 77 permanent homes for people just leaving the streets, including medically fragile men and women.”
Permanent supportive housing provides a stable home for people experiencing homelessness along with the social services they need to succeed. The cost of one of these units is just $35 per night compared to $130 for jail, $2,000 for a psychiatric facility, and $4,000 for a hospital stay.
“For over 35 years, the City of Seattle has funded affordable housing for our most vulnerable residents,” said Steve Walker, director of the Seattle Office of Housing. “Our investments have proven results not just for the people who gain the stability of a roof over their head, but for the long-term health of our community as well.”
