Winter 1998 Newsletter

Formatting Update: August, 1998

Habitat Building Sites for 1999 and Beyond

Perhaps you've been wondering how Habitat for Humanity acquires its building sites. Sites are donated and purchased through a variety of means. Seattle Habitat will have built homes on each of its current sites by the end of 1998, so the volunteer Site Selection Committee is busy at work trying to find new building sites, or rehab possibilities for the coming years. Most urban affiliates have great challenges finding property within the city to build or remodel Habitat homes, so Seattle Habitat is not alone. Over the years we've had some property donated to our Habitat, and this is definitely the preferred way to go, when sites are available. Donations of property to Habitat are tax-deductible. We encourage our supporters to consider this type of a contribution to the mission of Habitat.

During the past two months, the Site Selection Committee and the office staff have been busy making applications to King County to purchase surplus county properties. We've applied for three sites in Seattle (Central area and Rainier Valley), two in White Center, one near SeaTac, and a large six acre site in Federal Way. We'll know by mid-April if we've been selected to purchase any of these sites. We've also applied to King County for funding to purchase some of these sites, and are now busy working on Federal Home Loan Bank and Habitat International/HUD grants for additional acquisition money. The fact of the matter is, however, that we will need donations from our individual, corporate, and religious congregation supporters to help with property acquisition!

Consider joining the Site Selection Committee (call the office and we'll let Meg Gruwell, the chair, know of your interest so that she can contact you about the committee's needs).