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Seattle Housing Authority history
Seattle Housing Authority company history timeline
In 1939, the King County Commissioners create the Housing Authority of the County of King.
Inspired by New Deal legislation and the efforts of a young Seattle attorney named Jesse Epstein, the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) was established in 1939.
A 1940 city-wide housing survey, financed with a grant from the federal Works Progress Administration, found that nearly 30 percent of all houses and apartments in the city were sub-standard.
Construction began in April 1941 and was completed in little more than a year.
On July 4, 1941, Epstein announced that the Seattle Housing Authority had been selected to build and manage a $1,750,000 housing development for defense workers on city-owned land at the north end of Rainier Valley.
Temporary housing addition for war workers, Rainier Vista, Seattle, May 14, 1943
Yesler Terrace low-income housing, Seattle, 1943
In January 1945, with peace in sight, the federal government restricted new applications for housing built with Lanham Act funds to veterans and active-duty military personnel.
1945: By the end of the war, SHA has more than 8,400 units of housing under management.
By 1949, more than 90 percent of those living in High Point, the largest SHA development, were white.
KCHA expands after the federal government passes the Housing Act of 1949.
1950: Seattle voters reject an SHA proposal to build 1,221 units of low-income housing, to be financed by newly available federal funds.
1958: The Washington State Highway Department acquires title to six of the original 22 blocks at Yesler Terrace, in preparation for the construction of Interstate 5.
1963: SHA begins planning for what will become Center Park, one of the nation's first public housing projects designed for wheelchair users and other low-income physically handicapped people.
In 1963, Harold Y. Hopkins becomes Executive Director.
In 1968, KCHA builds Wayland Arms in Auburn.
KCHA also builds one large-scale family community in 1969: Ballinger Homes in Shoreline.
1973: Seattle Housing Authority moves its central office to the Denny Regrade, at 120 Sixth Avenue North, after more than 30 years at Yesler Terrace.
Jim Wiley takes over as Executive Director in 1973.
1981: Seattle voters approve a $48.1 million bond issue to house the elderly and disabled.
In 1983, the Housing Authority begins planning Vantage Glen, a mobile home park in Renton for low-income seniors.
1997: Rainier Vista is chosen as one of seven Jobs-Plus sites in the nation.
Executive Director Stephen Norman takes the reins in 1997.
2000: Phase one of NewHolly, the redeveloped Holly Park, is completed and cited as a national model for other housing authorities.
2001: SHA completes the first phase of the redevelopment of Roxbury House and Roxbury Village.
SHA leases the lower floors to social service agencies while managing 150 rooms for single adults on the upper floors until 2002, when it turns the entire building over to the Downtown Emergency Service Center.
In 2002, KCHA celebrates the completion of the Village at Overlake Station.
Yesler Terrace, Seattle, December 3, 2006
Also in 2006, SHA begins homeWorks, a five-year program to renovate the 22 public-housing high-rises built during the turnkey era.
Also in 2010, KCHA finishes its $55 million transformation of the Springwood Apartments in Kent's East Hill.
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Seattle Housing Authority competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno Housing | 1940 | $17.0M | 350 | - |
| Chicago Housing Authority | 2004 | $6.1M | 719 | 6 |
| Portland Police Bureau | - | $82.0M | 1,500 | - |
| Port of Seattle | 1911 | $76.0M | 2,150 | 19 |
| Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority | 1938 | $8.6M | 150 | 8 |
| Bessemer City | - | $570,000 | 49 | - |
| Addison | - | $390,000 | 5 | 48 |
| City of Lakeland | 1885 | $400,000 | 5 | 19 |
| Tacoma Housing Authority | 1940 | $8.5M | 150 | - |
| Mayor Ethan Berkowitz | 1975 | $106.8M | 1,500 | 44 |
Seattle Housing Authority history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Seattle Housing Authority, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Seattle Housing Authority. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Seattle Housing Authority. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Seattle Housing Authority. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Seattle Housing Authority and its employees or that of Zippia.
Seattle Housing Authority may also be known as or be related to Housing Authority of The City of Seattle, Seattle Housing and Seattle Housing Authority.