In the summer of 2020, MHNW celebrated the opening of Gardner House and the Allen Family Center in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood. Gardner House and Allen Family Center help respond to the crisis of family homelessness and housing instability in King County through an innovative combination of permanent supportive housing, affordable workforce housing, and a one-stop services hub for families in the surrounding communities. 

​

The ground floor is home to the 8,000-sq-ft Allen Family Center where families can get help with housing, employment, childcare, and healthcare. They can also pick up diapers, food, and other essential household items free of charge. Service providers at the Allen Family Center include Child Care Resources, Mary’s Place, MHNW and Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA).

​

The first of its kind in Seattle, the Center was co-designed by the service partners based on input from families with lived experience of homelessness to deliver compassionate, coordinated care. Gardner House has 95 affordable apartment homes, about half of which are permanent supportive housing or for families exiting homelessness. Two apartments are designed to be in-home childcare businesses for those in need of affordable housing and also interested in providing licensed childcare services. Gardner House has a safe outdoor playground on the second story and offers easy access to transit, shopping, and neighborhood amenities. It stands as a beacon of beauty in the area thanks to a mural by Tacoma-based artist Kenji Hamai Stoll, funded in part by a grant from Bank of America. This property is also MHNW’s most environmentally friendly to date. 

​

This was all made possible thanks to a $30 million investment from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Founded by Jody Allen and the late Paul G. Allen, cofounder of Microsoft, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation works to change the trajectory of some of the world’s toughest problems. Gardner House is named in honor of Jody and Paul Allen’s mother, Faye Gardner Allen. MHNW is honored and humbled by both the Allen Family Foundation’s support as well as the support of Vulcan Inc. 

​

“Families experiencing homelessness are sometimes described as invisible – hidden from view and underrepresented in official counts. Gardner House and Allen Family Center prioritize families with a two-pronged approach offering family-sized housing and services to help families avoid or exit homelessness,” said Jody Allen, co-founder and chair of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Gardner House has been able to welcome more than 90 families to their new homes, while the nonprofit organizations at the Allen Family Center quickly pivoted to delivering services virtually where needed. It’s partnerships like these that will help build lasting solutions to homelessness in our community.”