“It’s not always easy to find an apartment that I can afford,” said Harriet Felton, resident of Cambridge Apartments. “So when Mercy told me about the construction, I didn’t know what to expect. But overall, it was a wonderful experience and I have a beautiful place I can really call home. It’s my little slice of heaven.”

Just last week, Mercy Housing Northwest welcomed seniors to their newly renovated homes in Thurston and Lewis Counties. Thanks to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and our funding partners, Key Bank and Enterprise Community Investment, 92 apartment homes were fully renovated, creating affordable and sustainable housing for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Renovations included the use of green building practices, significant energy efficiency upgrades, lowering the monthly costs of utilities and improved accessibility for residents. More than 200 construction workers participated in the project and 75% of the workforce was locally sourced from South Puget Sound.

The grand opening turned out to be a great event, attended by residents, Mario Villanueva, Washington State Director of USDA Rural Development, Karen Miller and staff from Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Enterprise Community, Bonnie Canaday, Mayor of Centralia, as well as staff members from Senator Maria Cantwell’s office and Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler’s office. The celebration also included a BBQ hosted by Buchanan the general contractors for all three renovations, thank you to the Buchanan team!

Read more updates from Mercy Housing Northwest in the latest issue of From Our Front Porch!