Older adults in Bothell have a new affordable place to call home with the opening of Samma Senior Apartments, bringing 76 deeply affordable homes to a community where rising housing costs are putting increasing pressure on seniors living on fixed incomes.
King County joined Imagine Housing, the City of Bothell and community partners to celebrate the grand opening of Samma. All 76 apartments serve seniors earning below 50% of area median income, including 16 homes set aside for seniors with disabilities.
“Too many seniors are facing rising housing costs while living on fixed incomes,” said Jelani Jackson, interim director of King County’s Housing and Community Development Division. “Samma gives 76 seniors an affordable place to call home and the stability to remain connected to their community. This is the kind of housing we need more of throughout King County.”
Helping seniors remain in their community
Nearly one-third of Bothell households are cost-burdened, and more than half of lower-income households are paying more for housing than they can afford. Bothell needs nearly 5,800 additional homes to meet demand, with much of that need for affordable housing.
Samma adds 76 affordable homes in a city that produced 58 affordable homes over the previous five years.
Designed to support aging in community, Samma includes shared gathering spaces and raised garden beds that encourage connection, wellness and independence. Its location next to the Northshore Senior Center and near a planned rapid transit line also connects residents to services, activities and transportation.
“We strategically located Samma here because we wanted residents to have access to the resources and connections that help seniors thrive,” said Yi Zhao, President of Imagine Housing. “We’re right next to the Northshore Senior Center and along a future rapid transit line. It took a tremendous partnership to get here, with the City of Bothell, A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH), King County, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Amazon and many others coming together to make these homes possible.”
Investing in affordable housing
King County’s Housing Finance Program, part of the Department of Community and Human Services’ Housing and Community Development Division, invested more than $8 million in the approximately $36 million development, with County support beginning in 2020.
Samma reflects years of collaboration among Imagine Housing, King County, the City of Bothell and public and private partners to create more affordable housing for seniors.
While these 76 homes will make a meaningful difference for the people who live here, Bothell’s affordable housing need remains significant. King County continues to work with partners to create more housing that allows seniors and other residents to remain in the communities they call home.
“We’re grateful to Imagine Housing, the City of Bothell and all of the public and private partners whose commitment made Samma possible,” Jackson said. “Most importantly, we celebrate the seniors who will call Samma home and welcome them to their new community.”