Seattle’s Filipino Community Village housing for seniors to open soon

The four-year construction of the Filipino Community Village in Seattle is about done. FCS

The five-story Filipino Community Village will open this summer to provide 95 affordable apartment units for low-income seniors in the South Seattle area.

There is an Innovation Learning Center on the first floor to provide local youth with computer courses, a robotics program and a science-technology-engineering-arts-math (STEAM) program.

A project envisioned by the Filipino Community Center of Seattle a decade ago, the facilities’ construction is being completed under the partnership between Beacon Development Group and the center.

Beacon Development Group, a subsidiary of HumanGood, is an affordable housing consulting firm that works with nonprofits and housing authorities. The Village’s construction has taken four years, challenged by pandemic-caused disruptions.

The principal architect is Alex Rolluda, who is also active in the Filipino Community Center led by Executive Director Agnes Navarro.

Funding for the Village’s $36-million budget came from several public and private funding sources: City of Seattle’s Office of Housing; King County Housing and Community Development; State Housing Trust Fund, Low Income Housing Tax Credits; and tax-exempt bonds issued by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.

All seniors 55 and over who meet the income qualification requirements can apply for units by signing up on FCS’s interest list. Unit rents are based on the limits set by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission for low-income housing tax credits. There are units in the Village for people earning 30%, 50%, and 60% of King County area median income.