In March, Mercy Housing Northwest and Open Doors for Multicultural Families will break ground on a new affordable housing development in South King County called the Kent Multicultural Village (MCV). Before that momentous celebration, we want to introduce you to our partners and give you a little background on the project.

Open Doors for Multicultural Families was founded in June 2009 by a passionate group of parents, professionals, and community leaders who had worked together for over a decade to connect multicultural families to the disability services their children needed. Led by Ginger Kwan, they recognized the deep gap in services for families with children who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and set out to create an organization that would bridge that divide.

Additional 233 affordable homes coming to South King County

In Washington State, 37,000 members of the IDD community face housing security. Open Doors for Multicultural Families and Mercy Housing Northwest are joining forces to help bridge this divide. When complete, the Kent Multicultural Village will advance an equitable solution by setting aside 20% of the affordable housing units and specifically designing them to be inclusive and accessible for members of the IDD community and their families and caregivers.

Kent MCV will provide 233 affordable apartment homes adjacent to the Kent/Des Moines light rail station. The community will also feature and Inclusive Early Learning Center and a Family Resource Center. Too often, members of the IDD community and their families struggle to find accessible, culturally responsive spaces where they can feel truly at home. MCV addresses this gap by creating a welcoming, multi-generational neighborhood built on connection, support, and the value of diversity.

We cannot wait to begin work on this exciting development and look forward to the day we can welcome our neighbors home.