Affordable Housing Project to Support Homeless Veterans and Seniors In Seattle

The City of Seattle has selected Chief Seattle Club to develop up to 100 units of permanent supportive housing at Fort Lawton, a former military installation in Magnolia. The project is part of a sweeping redevelopment effort that will create up to 500 affordable homes and nearly 22 acres of new public parkland.

This latest step in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan marks a significant milestone in converting surplus federal land into a vibrant community designed to meet pressing housing needs while preserving open space and honoring the area’s complex history.

“Chief Seattle Club has a proven record of creating affordable housing that reflects and supports the communities they serve, and we’re proud to partner with them on this historically significant project,” said Mayor Harrell. “This work is an important piece of the broader Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan, which will help address homelessness and create generational impact by expanding affordable housing and homeownership opportunities.”

The new development will provide 85 to 100 permanent supportive housing units for previously homeless veterans and seniors. Units will be built above on-site case management offices offering services such as counseling, healthcare coordination, and financial assistance. Chief Seattle Club, which has created over 350 units of supportive housing in just the last three years, brings over five decades of culturally rooted service to Native communities in Seattle.

James Lovell, Interim Co-Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club, emphasized the deeper meaning of the project’s location. “This is a unique opportunity to bring safe and healthy housing to a neighborhood that has been a hub for Urban Native people since the 1960s, and for our Coast Salish relatives since time immemorial,” he said. “Generations of Native people and allies have fought to open Fort Lawton for redevelopment, and along with our partners, we look forward to delivering on this long-awaited victory for these communities.”

The Fort Lawton redevelopment plan also includes:

· Up to 200 affordable rental apartments, to be developed by Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington in partnership with United Indians of All Tribes.

· Up to 200 homes for homeownership, to be built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King and Kittitas Counties.

Together, these projects will transform the site into a community that provides housing security, promotes equity, and reclaims space for public use. The nearly 22 acres of new parkland included in the plan will represent one of the largest additions to Seattle’s park system in decades.

Maiko Winkler-Chin, director of the Seattle Office of Housing, noted the alignment between the project’s goals and the organization’s legacy. “Chief Seattle Club has been serving our Native communities with care that honors their culture and history for over 50 years,” she said. “Their proposal addressed Fort Lawton’s history and highlighted the unique benefits of being in this particular place.”

Looking beyond housing, Councilmember Bob Kettle praised the combined benefits of the project. “This partnership not only brings much-needed affordable housing to the area but also makes way for the largest expansion of parkland in Seattle in decades,” he said. “It’s innovative, thoughtful, and forward-thinking.”

As the city moves forward, it will hold a public comment session on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on May 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. The SEIS, published April 21, is available online. More information about the Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan is available at: Seattle.gov/housing/programs-and-initiatives/fort-lawton-redevelopment