Washington Nonprofits Build Housing on Their own Offices

While affordable housing with some office space for nonprofits is relatively common, in Redmond, Washington, a group of human services organizations went the other way: they rebuilt their collective office space and added housing.

1 minute read

September 15, 2025, 8:00 AM PDT

By Shelterforce


Modern black building for Together Center in Redmond, Washington.

The Together Center now houses roughly 25 nonprofits and offers affordable housing to clients and staff. | Together Center / Facebook

In Redmond, Washington, a coalition of human service nonprofits has reimagined what shared space can look like by redeveloping their campus into both a nonprofit hub and a housing community. Together Center, which began in 1991 when four organizations purchased and retrofitted a strip mall together, has grown into a home for more than 25 nonprofits. By co-locating services, the center has long offered residents the ability to access housing support, health care, job training, and counseling all in one place.

Facing a deteriorating building and skyrocketing land values — its 2.4-acre downtown parcel was worth $18 million — the board of directors confronted a difficult choice: sell, relocate, or reinvent. They chose to redevelop, holding fast to three principles: keeping the land under nonprofit ownership, guaranteeing a path back for tenant organizations, and expanding services. The result is a new campus that not only sustains nonprofit operations but also integrates 280 units of affordable housing.

Today, more than 500 people, including 250 children, live on site alongside the nonprofit organizations that serve them. With features like a coworking lounge, conference center, and community kitchen, Together Center demonstrates how community ownership and innovative partnerships can address both service delivery and the region’s urgent housing needs.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025 in Shelterforce Magazine

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