Seattle, WA — Yesler Family Housing and North Lot, two development projects led by Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda), will receive grant funding from The Washington State Department of Commerce for integrated childcare and early learning facilities to be operated by Denise Louie Education Center (DLEC) and El Centro de La Raza, respectively.
On February 6, Commerce, in partnership with the Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF), announced $17.2 million in grants to 39 current and new early learning providers across the state. SCIDpda and The Denise Louie Education Center are two of the applicants to receive funding, the former for early learning facilities to be constructed in North Lot to be operated by El Centro de La Raza, and the latter for early learning facilities to be constructed in Yesler Family Housing.
“SCIDpda couldn’t be more excited to work on these projects with two organizations that truly understand community development and have a proven track record of working with low-income, immigrant communities. As our first projects in over 15 years, SCIDpda is honored to not only be able to provide affordable family housing, but also to do so in partnership with such strong, capable partners,” said SCIDpda Director of Community Initiatives Jamie Lee.
North Lot is a two-building project split into two phases, the first of which will include approximately 160 apartments of family-sized, affordable housing with integrated facilities for elderly care and a satellite location of the José Martí Child Development Center on what is currently the northern parking lot – hence the shorthand “North Lot” – of the Pacific Medical Tower, just south of the Jose Rizal Bridge. The second building (phase two) of the North Lot is still being programmed in partnership with public funders but may provide an additional 108 units of family-sized, affordable housing. North Lot is expected to break ground in Q2 of 2021 and be completed in Q1 2023.
“El Centro de la Raza is very pleased to partner with SCIDpda to provide a high quality child development program at the North Lot Development at the Pacific Medical Tower. These new classrooms for the Jose Marti Child Development Center will increase accessibility to families, and maintaining high quality Dual Language and Cultural responsive programs for our diverse populations in the region. The José Martí Child Development Center i13s a community-based program that serves children ages 15 months to 5 years old. Our bilingual, bicultural curriculum emphasizes cultural diversity, social justice and family involvement in order to develop children’s self-awareness, cultural pride, and self-esteem, which is combined with age-appropriate developmental activities,” said El Centro de la Raza Executive Director Estela Ortega.
Yesler Family Housing is a joint venture between SCIDpda and Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) in a location near Yesler Terrace, Little Saigon, and the Central District. The building will consist of 158 affordable apartment units, the majority of which will be two- to four-bedroom units in order to address the growing need for housing for medium- and large-sized families. The Denise Louie Education Center will operate the approximately 8,500 sq. ft. early-learning and childcare center on the ground floor of the building. Yesler Family Housing is expected to break ground in Q4 2020 and be completed in Q2 2022.
“Denise Louie Education Center is elated to work in partnership with SCIDpda to bring multicultural early learning services to families in the Central District and Little Saigon area. Together we can further our commitment to serving vulnerable children and families by having affordable housing and early learning services under one roof,” said DLEC Executive Director Susan Yang.
The development partners recognize there is an urgent need to develop affordable housing for working families in a community where many of the surrounding neighborhoods have been designated as high risk of displacement and high access to opportunity.
About SCIDpda
The Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) is a community development organization whose mission is to preserve, promote, and develop the Seattle Chinatown International District (CID) as a vibrant community and unique ethnic neighborhood. Formed by the community in 1975, SCIDpda works to revitalize and preserve the neighborhood by providing services in three primary areas: affordable housing and commercial property management, community economic development and community engagement, and real estate development. SCIDpda has 40-plus years of experience in increasing neighborhood sustainability through innovative programs and projects that balance development and preservation.
About Denise Louie Education Center
Since 1978, Denise Louie Education Center is a nonprofit organization focused on delivering multicultural early learning and family support services to our most vulnerable populations. DLEC’s mission is to promote school readiness, while respecting and preserving each child and family’s cultural heritage and home language by providing comprehensive early childhood education services. For over four decades, they have impacted several thousands of children and families in the King County area.
About El Centro de la Raza
As an organization grounded in the Latino community of Washington State, it is the mission of El Centro de la Raza (The Center for People of All Races) to build the Beloved Community through unifying all racial and economic sectors; to organize, empower, and defend the basic human rights of our most vulnerable and marginalized populations; and to bring critical consciousness, justice, dignity, and equity to all the peoples of the world.
Media Contact: Joseph Guanlao, 206-838-8238, joseph@scidpda.org
