The City of Burien applied for and was awarded $1 million in grant funding from King County to address family homelessness.
The City will use the funds to support the Mary’s Place family shelter redevelopment project at 12845 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien, which will expand the shelter’s capacity to more than 200 family members each night. This project, in partnership with Mercy Housing Northwest, will be co-located with 90 units of new, permanently affordable housing in addition to coordinated management, services, amenities, and community resources.
The City has long played an active role in supporting this project.
- In February 2023, the Burien City Council passed a resolution to authorize the South King Housing and Homelessness Partnership, of which Burien is a member, to allocate the City’s portion of the more than $1 million in capital funding proposed for the project.
- In September 2023, the City Council fast-tracked approval of an interim zoning ordinance to allow Mary’s Place and Mercy Housing Northwest to proceed with the project without losing access to time-sensitive funding they had received that would make the project possible.
- The City successfully advocated for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal to include the project on her 2024 Community Project Funding list, which secured another $1 million in funding.
- In January 2024, the City applied for grant funding from King County in support of the project.
“We look forward to this development to increase safe and supportive shelter in Burien for families experiencing homelessness,” said Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon. “These funds move us closer to that vision.”
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Feature image courtesy of Mary's Place