Leo’s looking for land in east King County

A East King County nonprofit that serves adults with disabilities is reaching out to the public for help. But they’re not asking for money. They’re looking for land.

Life Enrichment Options has three homes in Issaquah. From the outside, the homes fit seamlessly into their neighborhoods. But inside, they each house five young adults with developmental disabilities.

The residents live on the main floor. Their caregivers live in an apartment upstairs, such as Evelyn Galasso and her husband.

“But, I don’t cook here. I do all the cooking downstairs. We eat together as a big family,” Galasso explains.

As Galasso tours her home, she shares a little bit about her residents. They all have jobs. One works at Microsoft. Another works for the City of Seattle. They have hobbies from swimming and bowling to art and drama. And they all love to watch the Seahawks.

“They have the same interests, and so, it’s really nice because when we go, we all go,” Galasso laughs.

It’s evident that Galasso is more than just an employee. She and her husband have adopted their residents and hardly go anywhere without them, whether it’s a trip to the store or a birthday party.

“They are an extension of my family,” she said. “They’re just like normal kids, even though they’re not kids. They’re funny. They bring a lot of joy.”

It’s this feeling of home that the Leo Foundation wants to continue creating for adults who would otherwise have to keep living with mom and dad or might wind up in an institution.

Fred Nystrom, Leo’s Executive Director, said there are somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 adults with developmental disabilities living with aged parents in King County.

“And those parents are probably one medical emergency away from not being able to take care of their kids,” he warns.

Leo is filling up homes as fast as they can build them. They’re currently working on a fourth home, and they’re focusing on East King County. Nystrom says it’s an under-served community. In North Bend and Snoqualmie, there are currently no homes available for adults with special needs.

It costs about $500,000 to build and furnish a Leo Home. While they have had success raising money for the project, they’ve run into another obstacle: land has become expensive. So expensive that they can’t find anything available in the Snoqualmie Valley for less than $400,000. At that price, they would have too little for construction.

“Part of the answer, too, is &#8212 Does the municipality have anything in their ordinances that requires low income set-asides from development? The Valley doesn’t,” Nystrom explains.

Leo is working with the cities of Snoqualmie and North Bend to change their policies on low-income housing. That could take a while. In the meantime, they’re hoping someone might know of a viable piece of land, at the right price, where they can build their next Leo Home.

Their requirements are pretty simple. The land needs to be in a residential neighborhood, within walking distance of public transportation and at least 8,000 square feet. Nystrom says they can work with a bare piece of land or one that has a tear-down house. If you have a lead on a piece of property, please contact Life Enrichment Options.

Life Enrichment Options can be reached by email at info@lifeenrichmentoptions.org.