It Is Now Within Reach
For the past three years, we have been talking about getting the land near 16th Ave. and Lincoln purchased. Thanks to the faithful support of many folks like you, we are now within reach of this goal. We are down to the last $65,000! The goal of JHY is to see if we can raise this amount by the end of the year. We can do it! Having the land paid off will open many other doors for more financial support as we move fully into the next stage of development.
Will you help? As you consider your end-of-year giving, think of Justice Housing Yakima as we move forward in developing housing for chronically homeless people here in Yakima.
Community Foundation Grant At Work
Thanks to a Yakima Valley Community Foundation Grant we received earlier this year, we were able to get some survey work done on the future site of Cottage Hill Village. Doing this, we were able to determine the exact location of a large irrigation pipe that goes across the property. This prompted some minor adjustments to our anticipated site development, but the overall picture looks pretty much the same.
We also hired Nancy Charron of Traho Architects to work with us on site development and design, including the design and footprint of the houses, the design and location of the community building, and the location of parking, laundry, and the community garden. We’re doing this keeping in mind the neighborhood in which we are located. These are exciting and promising steps into the future of Cottage Hill Village.
Partnership with ORFH
The Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing (ORFH) has reached out to us to help us move our project forward. ORFH has years of experience working with organizations like Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, Catholic Charities Housing Services, and the Yakima Housing Authority in helping them develop affordable housing projects. They also do a lot of work with farmworker housing as well. Helping develop low-income housing for non-profit organizations is their specialty. We are excited about this partnership.
JHY Board Evolving
As we continue to make headway in our goal of building a small house village for people experiencing chronic homelessness, our board is also evolving. David Helseth, founding president of JHY, is officially moving into the position of Executive Director. Tim Sullivan, State Director for Washington 211 and former Senior Manager for Yakima County’s Housing and Homeless Programs, will be taking the role of President of the Board. Tim was one of the founding Board members of JHY back in 2016.
From the beginning, David has been acting as ED in many capacities; this move is a step in the growth and development of the organization. We wish both Tim and David the best of success in their new roles.