Mary’s Place and Mercy Housing Northwest broke ground on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025 on a new family shelter and affordable housing campus in Burien that leaders say will serve as a model for addressing homelessness in Washington state.
The four-story project will combine an emergency shelter for 200 family members each night with 90 units of permanently affordable housing, according to the two organizations. Of those units, 34 will be reserved for very low-income families transitioning out of homelessness.
Completion is expected in mid-2027.
“Housing is too expensive in Washington, and there is not enough of it,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said at the groundbreaking. “For many Washingtonians, this campus will be a path from crisis to stability — and a place to call home.”
The event brought together Ferguson, Sen. Emily Alvarado, King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling, Department of Commerce Director Joe Nguyen, and representatives of the Amazon Housing Fund, which is supporting the project.
The campus will offer wraparound services for families, including on-site health care, Kids Club programming, trauma-informed support, family dining, and recreational facilities such as a soccer pitch developed with the RAVE Foundation and Reign FC and a basketball half-court in partnership with the Seattle Storm and Symetra.
“This project represents a fundamental shift in how we approach family homelessness,” said Dominique Alex, CEO of Mary’s Place. “By co-locating emergency shelter with affordable housing, we’re creating a true continuum of care that allows families to rebuild their lives without the disruption of moving to unfamiliar neighborhoods.”
Mercy Housing Northwest CEO Joseph Thompson said the collaboration addresses homelessness “at its root by ensuring families have access to both immediate emergency support and the long-term stability a home provides.”
“Amazon has a long history of support for Mary’s Place, and we’re humbled to support both Mary’s Place and Mercy Housing Northwest in this project” said David Zapolsky, Amazon Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer. “Public-private partnerships are essential as we tackle complex challenges, including homelessness. Amazon is proud to support innovative solutions that make a tangible difference in our communities. This project represents a significant step forward in our collective efforts to ensure every family has a safe place to call home.”
Mary’s Place said the need is urgent, with more than 50 families calling daily for shelter, though the organization can currently only serve one or two. Leaders said the Burien campus will expand capacity while offering a replicable model for other communities.
Mary’s Place has successfully helped families with children transition from homelessness to stability for more than a decade, utilizing a proven three-pronged approach that includes emergency shelter with wraparound services and housing resources, alongside mobile outreach teams working with unsheltered families. This approach also encompasses homelessness prevention and services to keep families in their homes.
Mercy Housing Northwest has been creating stable, vibrant communities through affordable housing development for nearly three decades, pairing affordable housing with supportive programs focused on education, health & wellness, housing stability, economic empowerment, and community building.
“But more than that, we are building love,” organizers said. “Love in the form of wraparound services, dignified housing, and a community where families don’t just survive – they thrive.”
Learn more about the new Burien project here.
Photos
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Video
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