Compass Housing Alliance

Nyer Urness, opening in April, to provide homeless a place to live

Guest — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:19:43 +0000

Guest (not verified) Mon, 04/15/2013 - 9:19am

Nyer Urness, located at 17th Ave NW and NW 56th St, will begin receiving residents by the end of the month.

Photo by Erik Haugen-Goodman

By Pete Treperinas

Look for some of Ballard’s homeless people on 17th Ave NW and NW 56th St at the end of April. They won’t be asking for money and they won’t be sleeping outside. They’ll be residents.

Ballard is the destination for the newest Compass Housing Alliance project -- a nonprofit organization that creates affordable housing for homeless and low-income individuals. Many tenants pay only part of their monthly rent, or, in some cases, none at all. Eighty homeless people will be selected for the Ballard building, many of whom were Ballard residents before becoming homeless. For these individuals, Compass provides a fresh start and an opportunity to once again be part of the community.

“These are not folks who got dropped off here from another planet. They have the same hopes, the same joys, the same dreams as anyone else … if they can’t have a house, at least they can have a home,” said Kim Sather, division manager at Compass Housing Alliance.

Rooms have all of the basic necessities a person needs in their home. Photo by Zachariah Bryan

Through this project, Compass continues to integrate the homeless population more into Seattle’s neighborhoods. These 80 units build not just homes, but second chances.

Compass’ service to the low-income and homeless community dates back to 1920, when it ran a small center that aided people by serving food and helping them find employment.

More recently, its action helps support Seattle’s Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. One major component of that plan includes adding 9,500 units of housing for homeless people by 2015.

Compass provides three buildings that contribute to that goal. In addition to Ballard, Compass built a 50-unit facility in downtown Seattle on 9th and Stewart Street less than a year ago. Construction will begin on another building in South Lake Union on Dexter Avenue and John Street this July.

Residents have a kitchen stocked with basic dishware and utensils. Photo by Zachariah Bryan

A drive down Ballard’s Market Street is hardly ever free of panhandlers at stoplights or homeless people gathering at bus stops. The area draws large numbers of individuals without shelter. Compass program director M.J. Kiser said that, more than anything, it’s the lack of services and facilities in Ballard that makes them stand out.

“If someone became homeless in Ballard, there’s very little opportunity for them to access shelter,” Kiser said. “There’s so few services and such few low-income housing options in Ballard that we wanted to provide an opportunity for folks.”

Residents will have their very own bathroom. Photo by Zachariah Bryan

Not everyone will be moved in at once. People will move in in small groups at a time throughout the summer, allowing staff to focus on residents and helping them adjust to a new lifestyle, as well as help them stay out of trouble.

Residents are only allowed to have one guest until 10 p.m. and incidents involving drugs or other forms of misbehavior are dealt with in a case-to-case basis.

Volunteers will cook many of the meals for residents in this full-service kitchen.

Nyer Urness takes a completely different approach in regards to services than previous projects. Dekko Place on 9th and Stewart is considered an affordable housing project. Of its 50 units, only about 10 are set aside for homeless people, while the other tenants fall into the low-income bracket (individuals earning less than $15,600 annually). Many only pay portions of their rent each month.

Stephen Olson, the site manager at Dekko Place, said that when that building opened, eight to 10 homeless people went straight from off the street into units in the building. Since then, several have had to leave.

“It’s kind of hard to go from living on the streets to just a brand new apartment,” Olson said. “It’s just night and day, and some people just can’t take that.”

In addition to the 80 units devoted to the homeless, Nyer Urness also provides a service aspect. Along with the Neighborcare Health clinic moving into the building, the facility plans to have 24-hour front desk staffing and case management services. Other programs will help those recovering from addiction and individuals battling mental health issues.

The staff will work to ensure that people won’t struggle with the transition from the street to an apartment, like many did at Dekko Place.

Front lobby. Photo by Zachariah Bryan

Not everyone in the Ballard community responded positively to the new project. Being in a more residential area in comparison to the other two Compass locations, the decision to build in Ballard created a controversy among some neighbors.

A small group of neighbors pursued litigation that would have halted the issuance of a permit required for construction. King County Superior Court, however, ruled that there was no merit to the lawsuit.

This caused a delay in the building process by roughly a year. But Kiser feels strongly that the community as a whole doesn’t share the same negativity toward the project.

“It was a vocal but small group of people who were in opposition of the project,” she said. “I would not characterize it as the Ballard community opposing the project, just a few individuals.”

Now, just weeks from opening, the Nyer Urness house is nearly complete, with just the finishing touches needed on the interior. From the exterior, the seven-story, navy blue building appears finished already.

A view from the top. Compass Housing Alliance Capital Campaign Manager Amy Besunder said that she thinks this is the best view in town. Photos by Zachariah Bryan

Volunteers are needed to cook, teach classes, help with mail, grocery shop and more. To learn how you can help, email kfriedrich@compasshousingalliance.org

Donations of household items are accepted, but everything must be new. To learn more, call 206.357.3108.

To sponsor a unit for $1,000, which will provide all the basic necessities, email Amy Besunder at abesunder@compasshousingalliance.org

Learn more at http://www.compasshousingalliance.org/

Follow Ballard News-Tribune on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ballardnewstrib

And Twitter at http://twitter.com/ballardnewstrib

Homeless

homelessness

Compass Housing Alliance

Ballard District Council meeting: Housing, projects and ice cream

Guest — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 01:10:37 +0000

Guest (not verified) Wed, 07/11/2012 - 6:10pm

Tonight is the monthly Ballard District Council meeting, which is open to the public. It starts at 7 p.m. and is held in the Ballard Library. Yes, there will be ice cream. Here is the agenda:

AMENDED AGENDA

Introductions & Short Announcements - please hold announcements to not more than one minute.

Briefing – Compass Housing Alliance “Projects & Properties in the Ballard District”, Rick Friedhoff, Exec Director – Compass Housing Alliance

Green Space Levy Opportunity Fund – Report on projects in the Ballard district proposed for funding, Dawn Hemminger & Dave Boyd, Groundswell NW

2012 Neighborhood Projects Fund, Joe Wert, Ballard District NPF Review Committee

Annually, the City of Seattle distributes approx $1.25M to community generated projects in our 13 neighborhood districts. In February of this year, BDC selected three proposals which Seattle DOT has evaluated for cost and feasibility. BDC must now review this analysis, and recommend projects in order of priority. Proponents will be invited to attend and answer questions.

Discussion & Vote

Your Seattle Police Department, Officer James Manning, SPD Community Outreach Bureau

Update & Launch of “Ballard Prepares” Campaign, Catherine Weatbrook & Michelle Rosenthal

Report – Executive Committee, Catherine Weatbrook
- Appointments to Matching Fund Citywide Review Team & District Level Review Committee

Staff Report, Rob Mattson
- Primary election ballot
- 2012 DC Enhancement Fund

ICE CREAM SOCIAL - Our friends at AmericanWest Bank here in Ballard are hosting this year’s ice cream and ice water.

Ballard District Council

Neighborhood Matching Fund

housing

Compass Housing Alliance

Department of Neighborhoods

Ballard group files appeals over homeless housing

michaelh — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:24:04 +0000

michaelh Wed, 10/27/2010 - 11:24am

A group of neighbors and businesses called the Ballard Preservation Association filed two appeals Oct. 18 to halt the construction of Urness House, a development for formerly homeless men and women.

Courtesy of Weinstein A|U

A group of Ballard citizens and business is attempting to halt the construction of Urness House, 80-units of housing and two floors of services for formerly homeless men and women, which was scheduled to begin construction this winter.

The group, called the Ballard Preservation Association, filed two separate appeals with the Seattle Office of the Hearing Examiner Oct. 18, the final day for appeals, calling for a full environmental impact statement to be created for the Compass Housing Alliance project at 1753 N.W. 56th St. as well as a reconvening of the Design Review Board for the project.

According to the appeal, the Ballard Preservation Association includes Ballard Partners, Neidler Manufacturing Company and Lew Wong Realestate. Neidler Manufacturing Company gives a Bellevue address, and Lew Wong Realestate gives a Renton address.

In an email to various City of Seattle officials, Rowley and Klauser, the law firm representing the Ballard Preservation association, state that Urness House is just one of a number of projects designed to shift the homeless sex offender populations out of downtown Seattle and into Ballard.

The Low Income Housing Institute is planning a residential building for low-income families and an Urban Rest Stop two blocks away from the Urness House site.

M.J. Kiser, Compass Housing Alliance program director, said there is already a sizable homeless population living on Ballard streets, as there has been for a number of years, but there are proportionally fewer services for homeless people in the neighborhood than in other areas of the city.

"Our project will not increase the number of homeless people in the neighborhood," Kiser said. "And, unfortunately, it will not by itself solve the problem of homelessness in the Ballard neighborhood.

In its appeals, the Ballard Preservation Association claims that the Seattle Department of Planning and Development needs to conduct a State Environmental Protection Act analysis of the cumulative effect of similar projects that could come to the area in the future.

The appeal also claims that the Department of Planning and Development is playing "fast and loose" with required project disclosures and that the Urness House project has taken on a "chameleon nature."

The Ballard Preservation Association states in the appeal that the city has failed to disclose its financial position or interest in Urness House.

The association also claims the city is now characterizing the future tenants of Urness House as low-income elderly and low-income disabled people with no evidence to back up the switch from the previous description of future residents as formerly homeless men and women.

Bryan Stevens, spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Development, said the department is making that distinction because elderly and disabled residents have a reduced parking requirement. Plans for Urness House include no parking for tenants.

Kiser said both descriptions of future Urness House residents are accurate. She said the residents or Urness House will be elderly or disabled and Compass has not attempted to mislead the public about that.

In addition to the previous claims, the Ballard Preservation Association accuses the Department of Planning and Development of failing in nearly every facet of the design review and environmental analysis process for the project.

In addition to many other claims, the association states the department did not address neighborhood concerns, did not reference the Ballard Neighborhood Plan, did not analyze Compass Housing Alliance's management scheme or its allowance of sex offenders, did not accurately analyze the zoning and parking requirements or the potential increase in crime in downtown Ballard. In addition, the association claims the design review was "clearly faulty."

Kiser said housing projects such as Urness House tend to increase property values. In addition, Compass will be improving lighting in the rear alley and providing eyes on the streets with its 24-hour-a-day front desk staff, she said.

"The residents will be more stable and their involvement in nuisance crimes, such as sitting on sidewalks and camping in public spaces, will be eliminated," she said.

Stevens said the Department of Planning and Development can not address many of the points in the appeals until the hearing, which is scheduled for Dec. 13. After that, the hearing examiner has approximately two weeks to render a decision.

Kiser said Compass believes the hearing examiner will uphold the Department of Planning and Development's earlier decisions. Compass continues to hope to being construction this winter, she said.

"We are disappointed the appeals were filed," she said. "Reducing street homelessness is a goal we share with our Ballard neighbors. We believe providing affordable housing is the best way to achieve that goal."

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development approved Urness House's design and offered a determination of nonsignificance in its environmental analysis Oct. 4.

Compass Housing Alliance

Urness House

Ballard Preservation Association

Low Income Housing Institute proposing Ballard development

michaelh — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 21:06:31 +0000

michaelh Mon, 10/11/2010 - 2:06pm

The Low Income Housing Institute's most recent development, for buyers earning less than 80 percent of the area median income in south Seattle. LIHI is proposing a new Ballard development.

Courtesy of LIHI

The Low Income Housing Institute, or LIHI, is proposing a family housing development in downtown Ballard.

LIHI offers housing for low-income, homeless and formerly homeless people and administers supportive service programs. The organization currently operates 32 sites in and around Seattle.

The Ballard development is proposed for the vacant lot at 2014 N.W. 57th St. across from Wiggen & Sons Funeral Home and down the street from the Ballard Library. It is also located within two blocks of Compass Housing Alliance's forthcoming Urness House for formerly homeless individuals.

Though LIHI has not responded with specifics for the Ballard development, it operates three sites nearby in Greenwood. Those locations house individuals earning 30 percent to 50 percent of the area median income with some space dedicated for housing homeless women.

LIHI was incorporated in 1991 with founding board members Frank Chopp of the Fremont Public Association (now Solid Ground), Michael Reichert of Catholic Community Services and Scott Morrow of SHARE.

LIHI's goal is "to assist those we serve in maintaining stable housing and increasing their self-sufficiency," according to its website.

A LIHI representative will be presenting the Ballard development proposal at the next Ballard District Council meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Ballard Library, located at 5614 22nd Ave. N.W.

Compass Housing Alliance

Urness House

Low Income Housing Institute

City approves Urness House design, environmental impact

michaelh — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:51:38 +0000

michaelh Tue, 10/05/2010 - 9:51am

The city decided in favor of the design and the environmental impact of Compass Housing Alliance's Urness House, clearing the way for its construction.

Courtesy of Weinstein A|U

On Oct. 4, the city gave approval to the Compass Housing Alliance to move forward on Ballard's Urness House, with conditions, in terms of the design and environmental impacts of the housing development for formerly homeless men and women.

The project, located at 1753 N.W. 56th St., is a seven-story building containing 80 low-income housing units above first and second-floor office and medical space. The project includes 13 parking spaces within the building.

According to the City of Seattle Analysis and Recommendation of the Director of the Department of Planning and Development, heretofore referred to as the Notice of Decision, the design of the Urness House was approved based on the unanimous recommendation of the five members of the Northwest Design Review Board, with the five following conditions:

Integrate architectural details at ground level that reference Ballard's history or character, including possible use of the Urness style of textile design or other Scandinavian or Nordic cultural references.
Adjust the planting strip to allow better pedestrian access between the sidewalk and the curb.
Install a seat wall at the entry area.
If additional bicycle parking is needed, locate it at the front of the building.
Use mirrors or other traffic indicators to promote safety of vehicles and pedestrians inside the garage and at its entry.

The Urness House project was given a determination of nonsignificance under the State Environmental Policy Act because the proposal will not have a significant impact on the surrounding environment, according to the Notice of Decision.

An increase in traffic and too little parking were potential problems brought up by the public during the design review and environmental analysis of Urness House.

According to the Notice of Decision, the Department of Transportation had a Trip Generation and Parking Assessment Memorandum created by the Transpo Group Sept. 3.

According to that memorandum, the development will create 11 new trips to the site in the morning peak hours and 12 new trips during the evening peak hours. This increase is characterized as minimal.

Residents of Urness House are not expected to own their own vehicles, so all parking demand for the project will come from the commercial uses of the building, according to the memorandum. The 13 parking spaces are adequate to accommodate that use, according the the memorandum.

The conditions placed on the determination of nonsignificance by the city include a notice of the income restriction of Urness House residents in order to maintain the reduced parking for the project.

For more information on the city's decisions, click here and here. Appeals of these decisions can be made to the city's Hearing Examiner no later than Oct. 18.

Compass Housing Alliance

Urness House construction planned for winter

michaelh — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:15:25 +0000

michaelh Fri, 07/23/2010 - 10:15am

Construction on Compass Housing Alliance's Urness House, seen here in rendering, is planned to get underway this winter.

Courtesy of Weinstein A|U

Though the city has not granted the project its Master Use Permit yet, the Compass Housing Alliance plans to begin construction on Urness House, its Ballard housing development for formerly homeless individuals, this winter.

M.J. Kiser, Compass program director, announced the loose construction timeline for the seven-story, 80-unit development at 1753 N.W. 56th St. at the July 14 Ballard District Council meeting.

After back-to-back State Environmental Protection Act and Design Review meetings June 14, the project appeared ready to be given the go-ahead by the city, both in terms of design and environmental impacts.

Urness House will house chronically homeless men and women earning less than $8,000 per year. There will be onsite services, such as mental health clinics, substance abuse clinics and triage services. Click here for more information on Urness House policies.

With construction on the project looming, a handful of Ballardites accepted Compass Housing Alliance's offer to take tours of some of their other facilities.

Dennis Galvin, a member of the Ballard District Council and Crown Hill Neighborhood Association, toured the Pioneer Square Men's Program and the Cascade Women's Program.

Galvin said he took the tours as a resident and not as a representative of any neighborhood group. He said the negative statements made at the June 14 meetings surprised him and he wanted to learn more about the facility coming into the heart of Ballard.

"There's kind of a lot of bad vibes out there," he said. "I wanted to know if it was something real or the fear, uncertainty, doubt thing."

Galvin said he personally always wants to do what he can to help homeless people, but he was becoming conflicted the more negative opinions he heard on the project.

"The tour allayed any doubts I had about the facility," he said. "I feel that Compass will be a good neighbor."

Galvin said he was most surprised by the cleanliness at the Pioneer Square Men's Program, which houses and provides meals for 78 men.

"I expected things to be not maintained, not will lit," he said.

He said the facility was kept clean inside and out, and there was no loitering outside despite the services provided onsite.

Jean Darsie of the Ballard Homes for All Coalition toured the Shoreline Veterans Program and the Cascade Women's Shelter.

She said she has been excited for the Urness House development because it will give Ballard's homeless residents an opportunity to apply for housing, and the tours only confirmed her feelings.

Darsie said she was never concerned about Urness House but was curious about how it might be run and felt it would be good to see other Compass facilities to be able to speak from experience.

What surprised her most about the facilities was their sheer ordinariness, she said.

"They looked so ordinary from the outside," she said. "I saw nothing at any of these locations that would say to me, 'This is a place where formerly homeless people live.'"

Darsie said she was also impressed by the sense of peace and orderliness on the inside of the facilities.

"The difference between these facilities and apartment buildings and condo complexes was the degree of caring and support that existed once we got inside," she said. "What better healing environment for people who have experienced the chaos and danger of living on the streets."

Not everyone on the tours was as initially supportive as Galvin and Darsie.

Galvin said there were two people on his tour that were not necessarily in favor of Urness House. By the end of the tours, one of them seemed to have been converted while the other was not, he said.

The Compass Housing Alliance facilities toured by Ballard residents have some key differences with Urness House.

The Pioneer Square Men's Program, while a similar size, requires its residents to be clean and sober, as does the Cascade Women's Program. That will not be a requirement at Urness House.

Both the Cascade Women's Program and the Shoreline Veterans Program are smaller in size than Urness House, with housing for 32 and 25 respectively.

Finally, all three facilities are more transitional in nature than Urness House will be, with the Veterans Program having the lengthiest maximum stay at two years. Urness House residents can stay as long as they want.

With Urness House on the way to becoming reality, Galvin said his biggest lingering concern is how its residents will be received by Ballard.

"The negativity in the neighborhood is rather bothersome to me," he said. "Compass [Housing Alliance] has to reach out and the neighborhood has to reach back for this to be a successful thing."

Compass Housing Alliance

Despite concerns, Urness House likely to get green light

michaelh — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:24:08 +0000

michaelh Tue, 06/15/2010 - 10:24am

A rendering of Compass Housing Alliance's Urness House for formerly homeless individuals, which looks likely to move forward after June 14 State Environmental Policy Act and Design Review meetings.

Courtesy of Weinstein A|U

Urness House, Compass Housing Alliance's 80-unit Ballard development for formerly homeless men and women, appears ready to move forward after back-to-back, standing-room only State Environmental Protection Act and Design Review meetings June 14.

The seven-story Urness House, to be located at 1753 N.W. 56th St., will offer housing for chronically homeless individuals earning less than $8,000 per year. There will also be onsite services, such as mental health clinics, substance abuse clinics and triage services. Click here to learn more about Urness House policies.

Lisa Rutzick, Seattle Department of Planning and Development project manager for Urness House, said it is unusual to have a public State Environmental Protection Act meeting, but the amount of interest raised by the project warranted one.

Ballardite's voiced concerns about negative impacts by Urness House on parking, safety and property values.

Urness House includes 11 parking spaces to be mainly used by staff members. Compass Housing Alliance Executive Director Rick Friedhoff said almost none of the residents will own a vehicle and most workers will take public transportation.

Dave Jarrell, a Ballard property and business owner, said he is concerned about safety because it is not just homeless people but homeless people with serious problems that will be living there.

Ballard resident Mike Yamaguchi said he is worried about sex offenders living in Urness House and the development drawing more homeless people to the area.

Shane Fitzgerald said he has not been able to sell his house in Kirkland for the past two years because it is across the street from low-income housing where there are bimonthly visits from the police.

Dennis Mashek said housing the homeless is a noble cause, but there are too many questions about the project left unanswered.

"This may have been done elsewhere, but it hasn't been done in Ballard," he said.

But, the positive public comments outweighed the negative nearly two to one, with many Ballardites welcoming Urness House and expressing appreciation for the diversity and affordable housing it will bring.

"We have a homeless situation in Ballard, and we don't have the support from the city needed," said Beth Miller, Ballard Chamber of Commerce executive director.

She said Urness House will be able to support its residents as well as conduct outreach to homeless people in Ballard.

"I think it's just right for us," 65-year Ballard resident Sylvia Vikingsfad said. "Don't we all want decent housing?"

Friedhoff said studies show Urness House will not hurt property values, and the 24-hour staff will contribute to the safety of the neighborhood.

"I've been at Compass Housing for 14, years," he said. In none of those instances where we provide housing has it occurred that there has been a rise in crime in the neighborhood."

M.J. Kiser, Compass Housing Alliance program director, said many Compass employees live, work and shop in Ballard and are familiar with the neighborhood.

"We're not moving folks into your community," she said. "We're moving folks into our community."

Rutzick said she didn't hear anything during the meeting that would require a full State Environmental Protection Act review, which usually deals with issues such as air quality, historic preservation, noise and traffic, meaning the project is likely to be given a determination of nonsignificance.

The project was also given the go-ahead by the Northwest Design Review Board in the second meeting of the evening.

Though some residents expressed concerns over the size, layout and orientation of the building, the Design Review Board agreed that the building makes the best of its mid-block location, knowing that the east and west sides of the building are likely to be covered when neighborhood sites are developed.

Urness House is laid out like a sideways H. Apartments are orientated with windows on the north and south sides on the top five stories. There are light wells on the east and west sides. The first two floors where there will be a lobby and office and clinic space are mostly windows and glass.

The project is set back from the property line and built 10 feet below the 85-foot height limit. It includes trees and plantings in front of the building and a green roof with a rooftop deck.

Access to the garage for parking, deliveries and trash pickup will be through the alley on the south side of the building.

The board agreed that the design's color scheme of blue and orange is unique for the neighborhood but it works and could turn the building into a neighborhood reference point.

The board asked Weinstein A|U, architects for the project, to look at adding some wall seating in front of the building, more permeability through the street-side planing strip and the addition of bicycle parking in front of the building.

For more details on the design of Urness House, download the Weinstein A|U presentation attached to this article.

Compass Housing Alliance

Services for those in need growing in Ballard

michaelh — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:40:47 +0000

michaelh Sat, 05/22/2010 - 12:40pm

Expansion has some residents worried

Randi Hansen, founder of the Ballard Food Bank, is glad to see the food bank expanding but disappointed in the negative comments she hears about it.

Peggy Sturdivant

Randi Hansen was working for the city of Seattle when she saw a need to provide emergency services in the north end. She would find a place for someone to stay temporarily, help them with paperwork and then put together a small food bank when the need was for food. This was in 1978.

What became the North End Emergency Fund is now the Ballard Food Bank, serving the four zip code areas that make up Magnolia, north Queen Anne and Ballard.

In addition to walk-in customers, the Ballard Food Bank delivers groceries to 90 households a week for those unable to pick up food because of illness or disability.

Original founder Randi Hansen, born in Norway but a 58-year resident of Ballard, is one of those people.

“I don’t know what I’d do without them,” Hansen, who is unable to drive due to epilepsy and a stroke, said of the nonprofit.

Currently located in a primarily residential neighborhood on 24th Avenue Northwest, the Ballard Food Bank recently announced they will be relocating in mid-July to a former machine shop at 5130 Leary Ave. N.W., just south of Carter Volkswagen & Subaru.

By coincidence, before World War II the site was home to Ballard Emergency Station, with a doctor ministering to nearby industrial accidents.

New to the food bank in this facility will be a kitchen, garden plot, inside waiting room, parking, and an extra administrative office for another social services group.

However the announcement of the Ballard Food Bank’s expanded facility on Leary and details on Compass Housing Alliance's upcoming development on Northwest 56th Street has touched a nerve in the community, as evidenced in comments to local online forums.

Strongly worded comments suggest that Ballard’s homeless and disenfranchised population is growing and will continue to grow because of agencies such as the Ballard Food Bank and Compass Housing Alliance.

Nancy McKinney, executive director of the Ballard Food Bank, has read the forums and notes a distinction between behavioral concerns and support for the nonprofit.

“I feel tremendous support from the community,” she said. “I have a vested interest. I am part of this community. It’s where I live and where I’ve raised my family.”

She recalls receiving three to six calls per week with neighborhood concerns about the food bank’s present location when she first became executive director in October 2007.

“Now, I might get a call once every six months,” she said. “We want to be good neighbors.”

While walking with the Ballard Rotary in the Syttende Mai parade, she said she heard shouts of “Yeah, Ballard Food Bank” from the sidelines.

Hansen is upset by negative remarks she has read and heard about the Ballard Food Bank and the Compass Housing Alliance's Urness House.

“It upsets me to the bones,” she said. “Why use the energy to criticize people who want to help others? What if they do feed street people? They also feed children, the elderly, veterans, people who are trying to survive.”

The Ballard Food Bank’s future site is located along a commercial and industrial area, but close to a residential area.

LouAnna Arnold is the manager of the 77-unit Russell Apartments, kitty-corner to the new food bank location. She had not heard concerns from any tenants but expressed pleasure with the fact that it will be easier for her to make donations and volunteer her time.

Kathleen Andersen, owner of Señor Moose Restaurant three blocks north on Leary Avenue, agreed that it will make it easier to make food donations from her business, otherwise she doesn’t see that it will have any impact on Señor Moose.

Andersen said she hopes the new food bank location will be a good thing for Ballard’s sake. She said she understands the concerns of those who worry that providing services will increase the number of people in need in Ballard.

What Ballard Food Bank’s board members, founder, executive director and volunteers want to communicate is that the majority of their clients are not homeless or mentally ill; they are neighbors who are having trouble making ends meet.

Every regular customer must present proof of residency in one of the four zip codes and may need to provide school records to document members of their household. As part of their contract with agencies and as a member of Seattle Food Community, the Ballard Food Bank is obligated to provide food to anyone who is hungry, but it will refer a person without a local residence to another agency for follow-up.

Although called the Ballard Food Bank, it also provides emergency financial assistance, clothing and hygiene items, as well as onsite and offsite groceries.

McKinney said she is extremely excited about the new facility, which will have a loading area, hot kitchen and indoor waiting room.

The food bank is currently serving approximately 2,700 households per month, 3,900 people of all ages, up 25 percent over last year. Resources include Food Lifeline, Northwest Harvest, food drives, bulk buying, grocery recovery and P-Patch harvests.

McKinney and operations manager Peggy Bailey are proud of their more than 100 volunteers, who sort and distribute food and make deliveries, and of the grocery recovery that keeps food out of the waste stream.

McKinney said she even finds comments on local forums more positive than negative. She said she feels lucky to be part of a community that is so supportive.

Meanwhile Randi Hansen, who also helped found the Nordic Heritage Museum and Washington State Epilepsy Foundation, has found that her lifelong passion for helping others has not diminished, even though she was assaulted by in downtown Seattle more than 20 years ago by someone with mental illness.

She said she would like to see more resources for those in need, rather than less.

“We need more housing for families and seniors," Hansen said. "I wish people against these programs would actually talk to those in need; it could be their child, their grandma.”

Ballard Food Bank

Compass Housing Alliance

Compass releases policies for formerly homeless housing

michaelh — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:39:05 +0000

michaelh Mon, 05/03/2010 - 1:39pm

A rendering of Urness House, Compass Housing Alliance's residential development for formerly homeless individuals, shows how it would fit into the surrounding neighborhood.

Courtesy of Weinstein A|U

Compass Housing Alliance, which filed for a Master Use Permit for its Ballard location April 14, has released more information about the operations and screening processes for the 80-unit housing development for formerly homeless men and women at 1753 N.W. 56th St.

Compass' Ballard development, which will now be called Urness House, will provide housing for formerly homeless individuals making less than $8,000 per year and will provide onsite services for them.

Potential residents will be chronically homeless individuals who are identified from shelter and transitional housing programs and referred from the city, county and United Way, according to a Compass Housing Alliance press release.

Applications from potential residents will be denied if that individual has been convicted of arson in the past 10 years or has been required to register as a level-3 sex offender.

Applications will undergo further review if criminal records show the individual has been convicted of a serious crime, showed continued patterns of criminal behavior or been required to register as a sex offender.

As part of their lease agreement with Urness House, residents and their visitors will be expected to respect the neighboring community, according to the press release.

Visiting hours will be between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m., and residents will be limited to two visitors at a time.

According to the press release, Urness House will be staffed 24 hours per day and have controlled entry. Urness House staff will be available 24 hours per day to respond to neighborhood concerns regarding noise or behavior.

“Compass has been a consistent good neighbor in part because our residental buildings have onsite staff 24 hours per day every day," the press release states. “The management of Compass and the Urness House staff are committed to being good neighbors in Ballard.”

Compass Housing Alliance is offering to create an Urness House Community Advisory Board to provide neighbors with a forum to voice concerns and make suggestions.

After a Feb. 8 design meeting on Urness House, the owners of nearby residential buildings expressed concerns that the development will be a magnet for homeless people, addicts and sex offenders and hurt neighboring businesses and land values.

Compass acquired the property on Northwest 56th Street in 2008. Plans call for a seven-story, 51,664-square-foot mixed-use development.

The bottom two floors of Urness House will be used by human service providers, including offices for social workers, addiction counselors, mental health professionals and employment specialists.

These services are offered by Urness House to help residents stabilize their lives and will be provided by organizations independent from Compass Housing Alliance, according to the press release.

Designs for Urness House include 11 parking spaces, which will primarily be used by human service providers. Residents are not likely to have vehicles, according to the press release.

Comments on Compass Housing Alliance's application for a Master Use Permit for Urness House may be submitted to the Seattle Department of Planning and Development through May 5.

Compass Center

Compass Housing Alliance

Low-income housing project has some neighbors worried

michaelh — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:07:57 +0000

michaelh Thu, 02/11/2010 - 6:07pm

A notice on the property at 1753 N.W. 56th St. announces plans for a low-income housing development. Owners of nearby apartment buildings are worried about the effects of the project.

Michael Harthorne

Some Ballard residents are concerned that Compass Center Ballard, a housing development for formerly homeless individuals, is being snuck through the planning stages and will seriously damage the neighborhood.

Dave Jarrell owns an apartment building across the street from the Compass Center Ballard location at 1753 N.W. 56th St. He said few people in the neighborhood are aware of what the project is.

Mike Yamaguchi, owner of the Landmark Apartments to the east of the site, said Compass Housing Alliance is trying to sneak the housing development into Ballard.

He said the community needs to have a chance to voice their opinion on the project – an 80-unit residential building for homeless men and women that includes services for residents who have substance dependencies or other disabilities.

Rick Friedhoff, executive director of Compass Housing Alliance, said they sent out notices to nearby property owners when the property was acquired in February 2008.

The project was announced at more than one Ballard District Council meeting and covered numerous times by both the Ballard News-Tribune and MyBallard.com, he said.

"We definitely aren't trying to sneak it in," Friedhoff said. "I don't know where that would come from."

A Feb. 8 early design guidance meeting was the first official meeting regarding Compass Center Ballard. Construction is set to begin in October at the earliest.

Jarrell and Yamaguchi said their tenants and neighbors are uncomfortable with the project.

"One of the major concerns is that it is housing for low-income or no-income tenants," Yamaguchi said.

Jarrell said it is not unusual to be concerned about projects involving homeless people with disabilities.

Compass Center Ballard will be a magnet for homeless people, addicts and sex offenders, hurting business and lowering land values, Yamaguchi said.

"When you're doing that in the heart of Ballard, it will affect Ballard negatively," he said.

He said Ballard is trying to struggle out of an economic downturn with lots of commercial vacancies, and this project will slow that down.

Friedhoff said reactions like those of Yamaguchi and Jarrell are fueled by fear, and while they aren't necessarily typical, they occur often.

Extensive research suggests that low-income housing does not harm property values, he said.

"I think once this building is built and the residents are there, people will be surprised at how little impact it has," he said.

Compass Housing Alliance will develop a screening process for residents using input from the city and the neighborhood, Friedhoff said. Whether or not sex offenders are allowed in Compass Center Ballard will depend on negotiations with the Seattle Housing Authority, he said.

Compass Housing Alliance operates 22 sites in King County. Two sites that house similar populations as will be living in Compass Center Ballard are located in the Cascade neighborhood and Shoreline.

Roberta Smith owns Shoreline's Be A New Creation Spa next to a Compass Center veterans shelter with about 20 units for formerly homeless individuals. She said she has never had a problem with the shelter.

Stephanie Green is the program director for Cascade People's Center, a community group that operates out of Cascade Park across from Compass' home for 32 formerly homeless women.

Green said the neighborhood has a homeless population, but none of the individuals who have caused problems in the neighborhood are residents of the Compass Center.

Jarrell said Compass Center Ballard may be able to manage what goes on inside the building but will have no control over what goes on outside of it.

He said he believes Compass Housing Alliance has already shown itself to be a bad property owner when individuals were squatting on the property in a vacant house, which was demolished last summer.

Compass needs to show it can manage their property, let alone their proposed building, Jarrell said.

Yamaguchi said Compass Housing Alliance may be able to maintain order in their smaller centers, such as the ones in Shoreline and Cascade, but could not keep control of an 80-unit Lake City center.

Friedhoff said that is absolutely untrue.

At the Feb. 8 design meeting, M.J. Kiser, Compass Housing Alliance program director, said Compass Center Ballard will have a welcome person in the lobby at all times who will be accessible to both residents and the community and also serve as a security person.

Yamaguchi said Compass Housing Alliance could curb neighborhood concerns by restructuring the design and dropping the number of units from 80 to 20 or 25.

The current plan – 57,000 square feet, 75 feet high – is out of scale with the surrounding community and feels institutional, creating a hostile environment, Jarrell said.

Yamaguchi said he recognizes there is a need for low-income housing, but it needs to be located in a different area. Jarrell said the development would fit in better on Leary Avenue or 15th Avenue Northwest.

At the Feb. 8 design meeting, Friedhoff said the Ballard site was expensive, but Compass Housing Alliance invested in it because the neighborhood has the services and infrastructure necessary for its residents.

Another concern of Jarrell and Yamaguchi – one that was brought up often at the Feb. 8 meeting – is that the 80-unit Compass Center Ballard includes only 12 parking spaces, largely for staff.

At the meeting, Ballard Compass Center architect Rumi Takahashi said they are not required to provide any parking, and most of the residents will not have vehicles.

The Cascade Compass Center only has three parking spaces, but the Shoreline center does have surface parking for the few residents that do have cars, Friedhoff said.

Before construction of Compass Center Ballard can get underway, there will be at least one more design review meeting as well as a SEPA environmental review, both of which are open to public comment. But, neither of those processes are meant to address concerns like those of Jarrell and Yamaguchi.

Lisa Rutzick of the Department of Planning and Development said the city can schedule a hearing to talk about environmental concerns after Compass Center applies for a Master Use Permit if an individual makes a request and submits a petition with 50 signatures.

Click here to learn more about the early design of Compass Center Ballard.

Compass Center

Compass Housing Alliance