Chief Seattle Club completes 80 units of affordable housing

As reported by CNN, the Chief Seattle Club has completed an 80-unit apartment building reserved for low-income and unhoused Indigenous people.  The building is named ʔálʔal (pronounced "all-all") which means "home" in Lushootseed, a language spoken by local Salish tribes.  Eighty studios are designed for households at or below 30% of area median income, with 60 units designated for homeless households and 10 units for veterans. The building is approximately 85 feet tall and 53,000 square feet; it is expected to house nearly 100 individuals, with each apartment renting for around $200 to $300 per month.

The building was designed by Jones & Jones architects.  The exterior is ornamented with brickwork in Native motifs, including a section of the façade that depicts canoes, and the interior walls are decorated in artwork created by Native artists.  The building is adjacent to the Chief Seattle Club’s day center, which offers social services to Indigenous people. 

The building also includes health care and social services spaces.  The health clinic, run by the Seattle Indian Health Board, will feature six exam rooms, a pharmacy and a traditional healing space where people can receive medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and traditional medicine services.  There will also be a cafe in the building that serves food from Native businesses and roasters.  The new building also provides space to accommodate expanded services, case management staff, job training facilities, and education.  Each floor includes a gathering area for residents to congregate.

According to KUOW, the Chief Seattle Club has other housing projects in the pipeline including 120 units in Lake City, family and studio housing on the North Seattle College campus, and 63 units of senior housing in Fremont.