Buchanan General Contracting Company has begun work on a $1 million community center at Burndale Homes, a 50-unit public housing complex in Auburn.
A Capital Fund Community Facilities grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is funding the project, with the intention to support the development of education and training facilities for public housing residents.
“This project strikes to the core of our mission – to help children succeed in school and their parents become economically self-sufficient,” said KCHA Executive Director Stephen Norman. “The increased level of services that can be provided in this new facility will strengthen educational outcomes for kids by reinforcing, complementing, and enhancing the learning that occurs at school.”
King County Housing Authority owns and manages Burndale Homes, a garden apartment complex, at 930 18th Place NE.
Construction is expected to be completed by summer.
Neighborhood House runs programs at Burndale from a converted apartment unit, which is undersized and ill-suited for the after-school programs.
The community center is a place where kids can get help with their school work, engage in recreational activities and learn leadership and life skills, program officials explain. Programs also will aid parents with adult learning, employment and supportive services. Programs are tailored to meet the needs of the children living in Burndale Homes and the surrounding community.
Children in the community face daunting economic and cultural obstacles to achieving educational success, officials said. A majority of the children live in homes where English is not the primary language spoken and the average annual income is $23,959.
“We are excited about this new facility and how it will enhance the quality of our services to the youth and families of Burndale,” said Mark Okazaki, executive director of Neighborhood House. “It will give us the opportunity to test new strategies like project-based learning that helps our youth participants develop research, writing and team work skills that are so necessary for a 21st century work force.”
In addition, adults and older youth will benefit from a partnership with the YWCA, which will provide employment and related services at the new community center, program officials said.
“The Housing Authority has been a champion for these kinds of innovative partnerships that put education, employment and social services where they are needed most,” Okazaki added.
The project is part of a broader initiative by the Housing Authority to help children in low-income households succeed academically and in life. To support this, KCHA is upgrading community centers at seven Housing Authority properties. By 2013, KCHA will have 18 centers, operated in partnership with nonprofit providers, serving low-income households across King County.
ARC Architects designed the Burndale community center.
When completed, the new 3,366 square-foot community service center will provide classrooms, a dedicated computer lab, demonstration kitchen, multipurpose meeting/activity spaces, and private counseling offices.
In addition, the new facility was designed with the environment in mind. The interior spaces will benefit from day lighting and natural ventilation. Roof-mounted solar water heaters, internal heat recovery ventilators, and split system heat pumps will reduce energy costs.
KCHA administers a range of quality affordable rental and homeownership programs in the Puget Sound region. The Authority serves more than 18,000 families and elderly and disabled households on a daily basis.