In the last few years, housing prices in Seattle have risen rapidly, making the dream of ownership appear unattainable. To address this issue, in the summer of 2023, HomeSight is building a 68-unit, residential housing co-operative called ?úləx̌ (U-lex). Pronounced ‘oh-lew’, this project will bring affordable housing to the Othello neighborhood of Southeast Seattle. You may be qualified to secure your own place in U-lex. If you’re interested in becoming a homeowner, you can learn more here.

To find out more about HomeSight’s work and the people who make it possible, keep reading!

Part of HomeSight’s efforts to keep Seattle affordable for its residents is spreading the word. We have the incredible fortune of working with both the People’s Economy Lab and the Seattle Times to let our community know that we’re here to help. To learn more about U-lex, you can read Laura Nash’s article here. She provides an excellent overview of the why and how behind the project. The People’s Economy Lab lends great insight to the disparity in homeownership between Black and White households, but for a more in-depth look into this issue, we recommend Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks’ article in the Seattle Times. You can learn about the struggle of Black households to achieve their goal of homeownership, as well as the Sam Smith “Hi Neighbor” Homeownership Fund we established to help address it, here.

When the Washington State Department of Commerce released their report on Homeownership Rates for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in Washington at the end of 2022, it revealed the issue to be even worse than expected. To quote their report concerning these homeownership rates, “Alarmingly, for some of these groups, these rates are worsening: the Black-white homeownership gap is worse today than it was in the 1960s when racial discrimination in housing was legal.”

To learn more about:

Partnerships: Moussa Samb | moussa@homesightwa.org

Lending Operations: Scott Kim | scott@homesightwa.org

Finance: Tammie Anders | tammie@homesightwa.org

Community Development: Sarah Valenta | sarah@homesightwa.org

Real Estate Development: Uche Okezie | uche@homesightwa.org

Resource Development: Sekai Senwosret | sekai@homesightwa.org

Employment Opportunities: Joe Thomas | joe@homesightwa.org

Executive Director: Darryl Smith |Executive Assistant: patty@homesightwa.org