A long-held vision for expanded social and health care services for residents of SeaTac and South King County is taking shape as The Village at Angle Lake project finishes up this month.

Developed by Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCS) and the efforts of many community partners, The Village consists of two facilities, Angle Lake Court and the new Community Services Building.

Scheduled to be occupied this month, the three-story LCS Community Services Building will eventually house a full-service medical center, extended-hours childcare, services for immigrants and refugees, and home care assistance for seniors and people living with disabilities.

Angle Lake Court, which was built by Lutheran Alliance to Create Housing (LATCH) and opened in 2004, features 80 one- and two-bedroom apartments for low-and middle-income seniors.

This project was sparked in 1999 when the national headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America offered LCS an opportunity to purchase church-owned land on South 188th Street.

This four-acre site was the former home of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and LCS' leased administrative offices.

From this hopeful beginning, a vision began to emerge about how this land could be used to serve the needs of the surrounding community.

Various studies have noted that South King County is seriously inadequate in accessible human services, with an underserved population of over 630,000.

The area also has a disproportionate number of low-income families, young children and seniors. Airport and hotel employees in the SeaTac area lack convenient, affordable childcare resources.

The lack of medical facilities in the city forces SeaTac residents to travel to surrounding communities to receive medical care.

The Village at Angle Lake, which is designed to address these deficiencies, was made possible by a number of collaborative partnerships, and by the financial support of many individuals, congregations, businesses, foundations, organizations and governments who shared LCS' vision.

Funding for the project was secured by the five-year, $8.5 million Called To Community - Called To Care capital campaign, led by co-chairs Frank and Sandy Jennings of Des Moines.

Major donors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The Seattle Foundation, the Jeld-Wen Foundation, The Boeing Company and the Employees Community Fund of the Boeing Company.

Once completed, the Community Services Building will be a home to four unique LCS programs.

The Family Support Center will be a gathering place where neighbors can create a sense of community, access resources and work collectively to address the issues affecting their lives.

International Counseling and Community Services will serve refugee and immigrant families with health care access, employment and housing referrals.

HomeHelpers HomeCare will assist the elderly and people with disabilities to remain independent in their own homes by providing assistance with personal care, transportation and housekeeping.

Lutheran Refugee Program will provide resettlement support for refugees, advocacy and family-based immigration counseling.

In addition to LATCH, Community Health Centers of King County and Easter Seals are partnering with LCS to bring needed services to South King County.

When the Community Services Building is completed, Community Health Centers of King County will open a full-service Community Health Clinic, serving the general population, as well as focusing on low-income and uninsured patients.

Easter Seals will open a Child Development Center offering extended-hours childcare services for children ages six weeks to 12 years, with slots specifically allocated for low-income families.

The new Community Services Building is expected to receive certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design through the U.S. Green Building Council.

Certification emphasizes site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, resulting in a facility that is considerate of the environment.

For more information on The Village at Angle Lake, visit: www.lcsnw.org/anglelake.