New Licton Springs apartments open to help address homelessness

The doors to 100 new apartments were opened Friday morning to people without a place to live.

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The city of Seattle opened the doors at Clement Place, which is located at North 96th Street and Aurora Avenue North in the Licton Springs neighborhood.

The six-story building was built to help address the homeless crisis plaguing Seattle and provide supportive services for the most vulnerable adults.

Clement Place will provide around the clock support services for mental illness, disabilities and substance abuse and will be operated by the Downtown Emergency Services Center.

“This is another step toward a more affordable, inclusive and just city. We must act urgently to build more affordable housing and provide the critical services necessary to help move our most vulnerable neighbors off the streets and into permanent housing,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “Clement Place is a model for supportive housing development, providing stable, permanent, homes for some of our neighbors experiencing homeless.”

The apartments are studio size, and over the weekend, volunteers participated in a move-in day to help furnish each apartment with donated items including bedding, towels and kitchenware to help welcome the building’s new residents.

A total of $9 million was invested in getting the apartments built, and most of the funds came from the Seattle Housing Levy, which was supported by voters, officials said.

Officials said the city is continuing its commitment in increasing affordable housing and has leveraged more than $710 million in funding over the next two years.

The city’s investments are expected to create 3,600 new affordable homes by 2022.

Durkan signed the Mandatory Housing Affordability legislation last month after council members passed it to create more affordable housing over the next 10 years.