King County Housing Authority

What started as a recommendation from a friend evolved into a 15-year (and counting)  journey for Lydia Assefa-Dawson. Prior to working at KCHA, Lydia worked in the non-profit and government sectors for 15 years, and her focus in housing and human services perfectly equipped her for her role as a Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator focusing on the southwest region of King County. In her role, Lydia works with residents one-on-one for up to five years, supporting them in achieving their financial goals. She says the most rewarding part of her job is the opportunity to build trusting relationships with our residents and seeing the joy that they share after meeting goals that they once believed to be unattainable. Born and raised in Ethiopia, Lydia continues to find ways to stay engaged in her community— both overseas and here in the United States. She is a proud mother of three adult sons, 2 daughters-in-law, and visits them as often as she can. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hanging out with friends, volunteering and reading—her favorite book is “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese.

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Housing is the key to solving homelessness. KCHA is a partner in addressing this regional challenge with housing and support for people experiencing homelessness, and prevention of homelessness through housing stability and economic opportunity. Data showing that homelessness is increasing is a clear call for stronger investments in housing and homelessness response. Learn more about solutions from the National Alliance to End Homelessness https://lnkd.in/dADndVg

As a Procurement and Contracts Administrator, Danielle Munroe works with the Regional Maintenance Department to support our Public Housing and Unit Upgrade divisions. Over 17 years at KCHA, Danielle has a lot to look back on. When she first started, there were many benefits of working in the housing industry, yet she says the greatest benefit was getting to know people. Her position in multi-family housing allowed her to work with people from diverse regional, ethnic, social, and religious backgrounds and gave her the opportunity to deeply connect with each family in a way that helped her serve them fully and authentically. Danielle says that her on-going desire to help families stay together and thrive together is fulfilled by KCHA, “I look around at all the things we do to promote families and the healthy development of children, and it really makes me proud to say I belong to something that truly transforms lives through housing.” When she’s not working, you’ll likely find Danielle outside— out on trails, exploring national parks, rafting and paddleboarding, or hanging out in her backyard with her family, which she refers to as “her pack.”

We see it every day—the demand for affordable housing continues to outpace supply, and the cost burden on low-income families continues to rise. To meet the need—to secure more thriving communities for our future—local, state, and federal leaders must remove barriers and invest in increasing the supply of affordable housing. https://lnkd.in/gCwfbZAR

KCHA’s first Youth Leadership Summit at Birch Creek in Kent brought together students from 8th to 11th grade, with a workshop from Nikkita Oliver on community-led safety. We keep us safe! Watch the full video below.

Connect with community resources at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Homeownership Resource Fair August 24. https://lnkd.in/grQWxBki

Quality matters. Every person deserves a safe place to live, and no one should have to live in substandard housing. KCHA invests continuously in unit upgrades and capital construction improvements to ensure that the housing we own and operate is in the best possible condition for our residents and our neighbors.

More than 14,000 households—including families with children, people who were formerly homeless, and young adults leaving foster care—use a Housing Choice Voucher to help pay the rent in cities across King County. Vouchers encourage public-private partnerships with landlords, and support families in moving to higher opportunity neighborhoods—moves that can have a lasting positive impact on a child’s future. https://lnkd.in/gNHr9CDS

I had a blast last night at KCHA’s National Night Out event in Kent! The event was hosted at our Birch Creek public housing property and community members from Valli Kee and Cascade properties joined in the fun too. We celebrated National Night Out with Kent PD, Kent Fire Department, Kent Youth and Family Services, and 15 other community providers in a large resource fair. One of our residents catered the event and provided delicious, nutritious free dinners for over 200 people. I was very happy to host four internet and phone providers during the event so our residents were connected to affordable technology resources. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who helped out, I am so thankful to work with you! 🫶🏻 I hope everyone enjoys this professional group photo from the City of Kent juxtaposed with my selfie as I attempted to fit 20 helium balloons in my car for the event. 🎈