Fall 1997 Newsletter

Formatting Update: August, 1998

A message of Thanksgiving and New Year’s excitement

By Linda Murtfeldt

Greetings to all of you, whether you have been volunteers with Seattle Habitat for Humanity since we began eleven years ago, or have received this newsletter as your first introduction to Seattle Habitat!

It is hard to believe that I have now been here in Seattle for six months, and on the other, it is equally amazing to me that I haven't been here working at Seattle Habitat for Humanity with all of you for many years. Every morning when I see the mountains and the sparkling Puget Sound waters on the way to work, and during the day, and many evenings as I work side by side with the terrific staff and dedicated volunteers here at Habitat, I am indeed happy to be here in this "emerald city" working alongside each of you as we challenge ourselves to make decent, affordable housing a dream come true for more and more selected Habitat partner families. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so at home so quickly!

I thought perhaps you would all like a recap of our 1997 Habitat year:

Beginning in January, we completed the Walker townhomes and moved in seven families to our first-ever multiple housing development. The Sullivans, family number eight, will soon be moving into the last townhouse just before the holidays. These homes were built with the love and sweat and dollars contributed by many of you over several long years, but are now a wonderful example of the new kind of housing urban Habitats need to look to perhaps as an integral part of our community building repertoire. The newly-formed Walker Townhouses Owners Association is functioning very smoothly and has elected its first Directors and Officers.

Bunly Yun, Nhoek Vatha and their children moved into their new home on Lexington Place in the Rainier Valley in July. This was Habitat's second of four homes at the Lexington site. The foundations for houses three and four are now being worked on by students from the Wood Construction Program at Seattle Central Community College, who will work over the next year to build one of these homes through a home construction training program. Microsoft's IPTD Tools & Training division has contributed nearly half the money for this home, as well as having worked at another site in August. SAFECO Insurance Companies and Bridgeway Construction will begin framing of the fourth house in early March. We are using a new one and a half story plan for these two homes, designed by pro bono architect and new board member, Phil McCullough, which promise to be more "volunteer friendly" to build.

Finally after several years of planning, the South Park South development is well underway thanks to infrastructure funding help through a new partnership between Habitat for Humanity International and HUD (U.S. Housing and Urban Development), in addition to contributions from Seafirst and Washington Federal banks and the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation. The first two of eight homes are now framed in and roofed, and insulation work has begun. The West Seattle Ecumenical Coalition, Sisters of Providence, First Lutheran Church of West Seattle and the Medina Foundation have provided the funding for these first two homes, and volunteers from the West Seattle Coalition and many other corporate and religious groups, as well as individuals, are building these homes along with weekly help from the King County training program, YouthBuild. Houses number three and four are being sponsored by Marcia Mellinger and the Paul Allen Charitable Foundation and will be framed in just as soon as we can get additional permits approved by the city of Seattle.

The Habitat Women's Project, along with the women architects of the Seattle Association for Women in Architecture, have designed the first house for Habitat in Shoreline, and are currently working with a contractor to prepare the site and lay the groundwork for construction of this site made possible with a King County grant through the HOME program and funding from a special Habitat International program with HUD. Framing should begin in January. (I hope everyone's asking for high boots and a new raincoat for the holidays!)

I am very excited to announce that besides all our building projects here in Seattle and Shoreline during 1997, through your generous gifts, Seattle Habitat has tithed 14% of all undesignated donations to the construction efforts of Habitat International, and we, Seattle Habitat, have vicariously built over 15 homes in Brazil! Habitat's Global Village program will be sponsoring a "Hike and Build" in the Brazil highlands next July and August. More details to come, but please call David Minnich at Habitat International's Global Village Department (1-800-HABITAT) and let him know if you are interested.

Seattle Habitat's goals for 1998 include building 10 homes, celebrating our 30th home, participating in the September "Building on Faith" week (and maybe even hosting Millard Fuller for the event), and building our first home using the money collected each month in the form of mortgage payments from the current Habitat homeowners -- our first "Fund for Humanity" house! What an exciting year we have been having, and what an exciting year to come!! Together we will eliminate poverty housing from the Seattle area -- thanks again for being a part of this organization and our mission to build houses and to build community!

Peace and Good Cheer!

Linda Murtfeldt
Executive Director