Transitional Resources (TR) is thrilled to announce that a gift from NAMI Greater Seattle is helping us keep more people with mental illness in safe, supported housing and out of the homelessness cycle. TR addresses one of the root causes of homelessness by pairing permanent, affordable housing with our continuum of behavioral health services. We have found that one of the keys to our success is helping clients find housing very close to our agency, in West Seattle. This ensures that clients are able to access their treatment team regularly and participate in our client-centered community of support. Unfortunately, it is getting harder and harder to secure affordable housing in our area due to skyrocketing rents and competition for apartments.
Last year, one of the property managers we rent from informed us that he would be selling his properties, putting us at risk of losing some of the homes that we have been renting for clients for many, many years. One property is a duplex that houses four of our clients, whose journeys to recovery have been deeply impacted by the stability of a home. We knew we would never find comparable housing so close to TR or a landlord so willing to work with our clients. The property manager offered us the opportunity to purchase them, but we weren’t sure how to make this financially feasible. Fortunately, NAMI Greater Seattle stepped in at a key moment. They made a gift of $304,000, which provided a down payment for the duplex. Thanks to this incredible gift, we were able to retain this home and the safety and dignity it provides. We are so grateful that NAMI’s support means that we can continue to ensure our clients’ place in the community for many years to come.