Andrew's Glen - Now Open!
It is with great excitement that we announce the completion of Andrew's Glen! Four years in the making, this project, which is Imagine Housing's 11th affordable housing community, reflects incredible community partnership and collaboration.
The project concept began back in 2007 when St. Margaret's Episcopal Church approached Imagine Housing (at the time St. Andrew's Housing Group) about some excess land that they had available. Today, Andrew's Glen stands as a beautiful new building which is providing 40 units of affordable supportive housing targeted to homeless veterans and other low income individuals and families in the Factoria neighborhood of Bellevue. The unit sizes range from studios to two-bedrooms, accommodating both individuals and families.
20 of the units are dedicated to homeless veterans, who will benefit from rental subsidies through the Veterans Administration. With these rental subsidies from the VA, the veterans’ rent will be set at 30% of their incomes. The VA designates that these units for veterans be transitional in nature and help the veterans to build their skills, increase their incomes and improve their stability so they can move up and out of Andrew’s Glen within two years.
Ten of the other affordable units are permanent supportive housing for individuals and families transitioning from homelessness. The remaining 10 units are permanent subsidized housing through the King County Housing Authority’s project-based Section 8 program. The Section 8 program provides rental subsidies for residents so that they only have to pay 30% of their income toward rent.
All of the residents at Andrew’s Glen will be offered supportive services. The three on-site Resident Support Specialists are specially trained to support and meet the needs of veterans and other people transitioning from homelessness.
In addition to using in-house supportive services staff, Imagine Housing is partnering with an array of local service providers to provide case management, care coordination, life coaching, trainings, referrals, and other supports to Andrew’s Glen residents. These service providers include Congregations for the Homeless, The Sophia Way, Hopelink, Friends of Youth, Eastside Domestic Violence Program, Seattle and King County Public Health, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and YWCA.
Andrew’s Glen is designed with community space to enable residents to engage in community building activities together, attend on-site workshops and trainings, utilize the computer lab, and meet with service providers. The community room, which will host community meals, resident trainings and other activities, is dedicated to Lainey AlaiMalo, a long-time volunteer and Board member with Imagine Housing who passed away in 2010.
We are incredibly excited to report this project was completed on-time and under budget and remain grateful for the many financial, service and project partners that have made Andrew's Glen possible. We hope you will join us in welcoming the Andrew's Glen residents into their new homes!
Andrew's Glen Frequently Asked Questions:
Who will develop and own this new housing?
St. Margaret's Church invited Imagine Housing to develop a portion of their campus. Red Vines I, an affiliate of Imagine Housing, is the owner of Andrew’s Glen and has contracted with a property management company for its property management.
What is Imagine Housing?
Imagine Housing is a community based non-profit organization (501(c) (3)) that empowers individuals and families, supports diversity and strengthens communities by developing permanent affordable rental housing and providing supportive services.
Does Imagine Housing have other properties?
Yes. Imagine Housing has developed and now owns 10 beautiful communities. These properties are located in Kirkland, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond and are all within established communities and are close to good schools, services and jobs. In fact, since 1995, Imagine Housing has operated a 24-unit property – Andrew’s Heights – just around the corner from Andrew’s Glen. Imagine Housing is committed to providing housing that residents and neighbors can be proud of.
What kind of criteria will be used to evaluate if residents qualify for housing?
In addition to meeting the income requirements for the property, all Andrew’s Glen applicants will have a complete background check which will include reviews of credit, criminal, eviction, and sex offender histories to determine if they meet our criteria for housing.
Who paid for this housing?
The project is being made possible through financial support from many local funders. Funders include A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) including the City of Bellevue, King County, Washington State Housing Trust Fund, Impact Capital, Washington Community Reinvestment Association (WCRA), the Veterans Administration and Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s Exchange Program as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.