Washington Nonprofits Build Housing on Their own Offices

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.