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TC’s Campus Transformation Partnership Keynotes Affordable Housing Summit 

Together Center CEO Kim Sarnecki was honored by an invitation to present at the Housing Development Consortium’s North King County/Snohomish County Summit in June 2021.  

The Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County (HDC) is a nationally recognized leader in affordable housing convening and advocating. They bring together organizations, government agencies and businesses with shared values to enable the cross-sector collaboration necessary to advance affordable housing, equitable communities, and an end to homelessness. Kim, along with John Fisher, Development Manager at Inland Group(1) and Carol Helland, Planning & Community Development Director for the City of Redmond(2), presented the featured case study entitled Building a new campus for affordable housing and accessible human services through cross-sector partnerships and a problem-solving approach. 

They presented to leaders, city officials, planning teams and developers from Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Duvall, North Bend, and Snoqualmie with a behind the scenes look at the dynamic partnerships and problem-solving approach that’s been essential to Together Center’s success.  

“The Together Center project is exemplary of intentional partnership and community prioritization.”

– Mallory Van Abbema, Advocacy & Policy Manager, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County

This influential group benefited from hearing the lessons we have learned (so far!) and heard an honest discussion of the many challenges Together Center and our key partners have had to overcome, together.  They emphasized the need to build strong relationships and trust early on, to work through the inevitable issues that arise during development. The team shared how they focused on intentional partnership, which means talking to each other, treating each other with respect and most importantly, being willing to stay “at the table” (or in the virtual room) when conversations become challenging. 

Together Center expects to learn much more over the coming years as construction and operation of the new campus and community asset unfold. We are excited for others to be able to learn from our experiences with cross-sector partnership and are hopeful that it leads to replication of similar systems-change solutions across the region and state. One thing we know for certain – the solutions to these complex social issues, will most certainly be born out of an ‘all hands on deck’ approach and more dynamic partnership, not less.   

 

(1). Inland Group is a vertically integrated affordable housing company which both builds and operates the affordable housing they develop.  Inland Group is constructing the entire Together Center campus and will operate 200 of the 280 affordable housing units.  

(2). City of Redmond has been an important ally in ensuring project success; however, this is not a government-run or funded project.  Leveraging the value built in our land over the last 30 years, Together Center, a 501c3 nonprofit, catalyzed the campus redevelopment and together with our housing partners, is securing all funding.  

 

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info@togethercenter.org | 425-869-6699

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