Transitional Resources’ new Avalon Place to open in 2 weeks

(New photo substituted July 7th)
Eleven months after its groundbreaking last August (WSB coverage here), Avalon Place will officially open on July 13th. The announcement came today from Transitional Resources, the nonprofit organization offering housing and other services to mentally ill people, headquartered on the west side of Avalon Way, south of the Luna Park business district; Avalon Place at 2988 Avalon Way will be its southernmost building. Transitional Resources says this is its first venture into the “Housing First” philosophy; it will offer 16 apartments to homeless people with mental illness “and co-occurring disorders” without requiring them to be stabilized first. (This is the same approach followed by Downtown Emergency Service Center, in the news in West Seattle right now for its plan to build a 75-apartment building in the 5400 block of Delridge Way). Read on for the Transitional Resources announcement:

Transitional Resources proudly announces the grand opening of their new low-income housing project, Avalon Place.

The Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be held at Transitional Resources’ Avalon Place Apartments, 2988 SW Avalon Way in West Seattle, on Thursday, July 13, 2011.

A reception with light refreshments will begin at 5:00 p.m. with the ceremony starting at 5:30 p.m. Speakers will include King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson, and Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. Tours of the new building will be offered after the ceremony until 7:00 p.m.

Avalon Place will provide permanent, affordable housing to some of the most vulnerable men and women in our community – individuals who are chronically homeless and dealing with their mental health issues while living on the streets or in shelters. The new building includes 16 studio apartments overlooking Transitional Resources’ certified organic garden, each fully furnished and equipped for occupancy.

For the first time in the organization’s history, Transitional Resources will be using the “Housing First” model at Avalon Place. “Housing First” is an innovative alternative to the current system of emergency shelters and transitional housing which may prolong the length of time an individual remains homeless. This pioneering concept allows chronically homeless men and women to move directly into permanent affordable housing before receiving mental health treatment and supportive services.

Once at Avalon Place, tenants will be eligible for a wide range of support offered at Transitional Resources including case management and vocational services. This model is designed to empower participants and foster self-sufficiency, helping them rebuild their lives as members of the neighborhood and community.

The Avalon Place low-income housing project is part of the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness and is funded by the King County Housing and Community Development Program and the City of Seattle Office of Housing. Partnering with Transitional Resources as part of this project are Common Ground, The Keimig Associates, and Abbott Construction.

Transitional Resources has been providing innovative and respective mental health care to residents of King County for 35 years. With a specialization in serving individuals with the most serious and persistent forms of mental illness, Transitional Resources offers a continuum of care that includes case management, crisis intervention, affordable housing, and vocational services.

Pete June 30, 2011 (7:42 am)

Funny how this project got so little attention in comparison to the DESC’s recently announced project. And they are not that far from each other. I am glad that our community is trying a new approach to deal with our homeless population.

J June 30, 2011 (8:28 am)

I think this is an encouraging direction. Our current approaches to ending homelessness don’t seem to be as effective as they should. I would be interested to know if there’s data yet from similar attempts, and how King County will evaluate the results of this one.

Stu June 30, 2011 (9:56 am)

Why don’t we see these opening up in Magnolia, Laurelhurst and on top of Queen Ann??? First we get the homeless camp, then the Delridge mental illness facility, and now another mental illness facility on Avalon.

Gina June 30, 2011 (11:26 am)

Hasn’t there been a facility there for decades, and this is just an new building?

WSB June 30, 2011 (11:51 am)

Yup. We’ve covered them before. I believe the story mentions that briefly. However, this is, as noted, the first time they have tried “Housing First,” so it’s a bit of a change. This is an organization that’s innovated in other ways as well – some of our previous coverage involves their “Garden Parties”; they have an extensive garden in the courtyard of one of the buildings, and they’re even a stop on an upcoming garden tour (I forget which one, not WS, but there are a few others) – TR

JanS June 30, 2011 (11:59 am)

Stu…for the record..Nickelsville is NOT for mentally deficient persons, it for homeless people, down on their luck, hopefully temporarily. I’m pretty sure no one would want to live in a small tent permanently. Obviously, as in any community, you might find persons who have less mental capacity than others. I tink you might be talking apples and oranges here. Maybe you ought to visit NV and see for yourself :)

Sage June 30, 2011 (12:35 pm)

Based on the furor around the Delridge DESC project, you would think a 4-block area around that site would have been evacuated long ago by neighbors and the police.

WSSpartan June 30, 2011 (1:52 pm)

JanS…Stu didn’t say NV was for mentally deficient persons. He was just making a point that we seem to be doing our fair share to help disadvantaged persons here in WS while other neighborhoods in the city aren’t. I think that is a valid topic to discuss/debate.

Stu June 30, 2011 (4:00 pm)

Thank you WSSpartan.

If we don’t push back, we will become the preferred area for every program no one else wants. I understand the reason Seattle has never had the types of troubled communities like other big cities have is because we have not concentrated them in one area. I guess you can say Pioneer Sq has a lot of these types of programs, and look at all the problems they have.

C.M. June 30, 2011 (5:13 pm)

Both the DESC and Transitional Resources programs have great reputations for taking people from the “Pioneer Square” and “tent city” areas and rehabilitating them into the community. It says right in the article that these people are getting PERMANENT supportive housing…this helps end the cycle of homelessness. The reason these programs don’t exist in areas like Queen Anne and Magnolia is because non-profit agencies can’t afford the extreme cost of property or taxes in those areas.

sks June 30, 2011 (5:28 pm)

Sage, what is your problem? Where do you live?

This facility does not compare with the Delridge proposal. It’s on a major bus line, it’s close to grocery stores, is located in a higher density, stable neighborhood, is not across the street from daycare centers and schools, and is only 15 units, not 75.

Duh.

Been There July 1, 2011 (10:55 am)

@ C.M.

It is my understanding that non-profit housing providers do not pay any property tax.
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Not accepting yours and many others stances on “land values” being the reason that the Downtown Emergency Services Center and Transitional Resources facilities are located in primarily poor neighborhoods. These sites are chosen specifically because they are home to the least powerful.
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The imploding of both the residential and commercial property bubble has changed things dramatically. A quick cursory online check found these parcels For Sale. All are within the same cost/size range and have the necessary zoning requirements as the Delridge Way site that the DESC is trying to move forward with.
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Here is a nice 5,000 sq. ft. parcel zoned NC2-40site in Magnolia Village: http://windermerecommercial.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=comListing.ListingDetail&ListingID=105717

Or how about this massive 21,000 sq. ft. raw land parcel in Interbay on the western slope of Queen Anne: http://windermerecommercial.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=comListing.ListingDetail&ListingID=101649

7,200 sq. ft. of NC3-40 land in Queen Anne: http://windermerecommercial.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=comListing.ListingDetail&ListingID=100795

And in the heart of Madrona a really nice opportunity with the MUP already to go. All it would take is some plan/permit modification and it would be ready to build: http://windermerecommercial.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=comListing.ListingDetail&ListingID=51057
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These high-needs, at-risk, addicted or seriously mentally ill population serving projects need to be shared by all neighborhoods/regions of the city, not just plopped down in the far flung poor sections who have the least ability to handle them and are not the best places for the individuals to get proper modeling. Social justice and social equity.

Common Ground July 7, 2011 (12:49 pm)

Oops, the photograph accompanying this post is not actually the picture of the new facility. The photo here is of Transitional Resources’ offices (which we, Common Ground also helped them develop back in 2001). The new Avalon Place facility is next door to the offices, complements the building’s design, and in our humble opinion quite the handsome structure.

WSB July 7, 2011 (12:59 pm)

I told my photographer the building immediately north of Tillicum Village’s old office … he’s on the way back over – wish one of the 30,000 people who have read this story had said something sooner, if this is the case. Will sub out photo upon return. – TR

Sorry, comment time is over.