The new Housing Hope Scriber Place community (2.20 acres) is a collaboration between Edmonds School District and Housing Hope. Currently, in the Edmonds Schools District, there are over 700 families experiencing homelessness. Scriber Place will provide housing for 52 families on a plot of land leased to Housing Hope, who will develop, build, and fund the living community. Housing Hope is the largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing in Snohomish County and has a proven history of helping our community members in need through housing and supportive services to help build stability and self-sufficiency. This collaboration blends abilities to develop housing and the availability of surplus land owned by the district, we can provide our community with a housing solution that will serve families and students in need.

At project completion, 26 units within the Scriber Place project will be affordable to households at or below 30% of area median income (AMI), and the remaining 26 units will be affordable to households at or below 50% of AMI, with six (6) of these units dedicated to serving households with histories of substance abuse.

All 52 units are intended to serve families with children enrolled in either Edmonds School District schools or neighboring districts meeting the U.S. Department of Education/McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act’s definition of homelessness. This groundbreaking partnership will allow Housing Hope to serve “couch surfing” or “doubled-up” families for the first time.

Families who are couch surfing or doubled-up stay with another family or friend out of economic necessity. Often these situations are overcrowded or unsafe, and parents will frequently split their children between different households to avoid sleeping on the street or in their car. Since these children and their families are technically “sheltered,” they are not eligible for homeless housing funded by HUD. 

Unstable housing has significant adverse effects on student academic performance.  A study by Schoolhouse Washington found that students who are doubled up or in motels/hotels have nearly identical academic outcomes to their unsheltered peers, which are well below that of their housed classmates.  In recognition of this crisis, the Washington State Legislature acted in 2018 to authorize school districts to lease surplus land to build affordable housing for students experiencing homelessness.

Because the School District retains ownership of the land and serving students experiencing homelessness is a condition of the lease, the project will serve Mckinney-Vento homeless families in the Edmonds School District and other Mckinney-Vento families in neighboring school districts. This allows these families to access permanent, affordable housing through this project.  Housing Hope and Edmonds School District are breaking new ground to serve these families. 

To the best of our knowledge, we are the first community in the state to attempt to build affordable housing for homeless students on surplus school district property.  Once this model is proven successful, it can be replicated in other communities as an innovative solution to solving student homelessness.

All students must meet the federal McKinney-Vento Act eligibility criteria, defined as “lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." Once that requirement is established, priority will be given to students enrolled in the Edmonds School District and in attendance for at least two years. The second priority is for households within the district boundaries attending public schools in other districts; the third priority will be for households meeting low-income and other requirements to which the project is subject.  The Edmonds School District will lead a process to define the selection policies and procedures further in the months ahead. The housing community is projected to open in the summer of 2025, so there is much time to create these systems. 

Under the “Permanent Supportive Housing” program mentioned above, Housing Hope cannot force a family to move out of housing just because their children graduate. However, Housing Hope will work with families to transition out of our program so that other families can be served.

The project details that have been submitted to the City of Lynnwood include:

• One two‐story (mixed‐use Building A) and three three‐story (Buildings B, C & D) multifamily buildings with 52 low‐income apartments, supportive services, and amenity spaces totaling +/‐ 56,588 gross SF building space.

• Residences will include nine one‐bedroom, 25 two‐bedroom, 12 three‐bedroom, six four‐bedroom units, and central laundry.

• Non‐residential space includes a community room with a residential‐grade kitchen, two multipurpose rooms, a study, staff offices, meeting space, health consultation space, and storage comprised of a community pantry and maintenance storage.

• Buildings are configured around the resident picnic, play plaza, and central parking area.

• Other features: ample parking spaces per city code along with an enclosed trash area, raised garden planters, play equipment, and overall fencing with landscaping.

• The project is designed to meet Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard (ESDS) version 4.0 program.