4 2017 ANNUAL REPORT home to 224 senior households. This acquisition prevented the almost certain closure and redevelopment of this 40-acre community. And in Shoreline, KCHA purchased Ballinger Commons, a 485-unit complex close to the planned light-rail station on 185th Street. The sales prospectus identified this sale as a “value add” opportunity to raise rents on every unit by $150-$300 almost immediately. KCHA instead made it possible for these families to remain in their homes without major rent increases. With these purchases, KCHA’s inventory crossed the 10,000-unit mark this year, supporting 4,000 Public Housing and over 6,000 workforce housing units spread across the metropolitan region outside of Seattle. In addition to expanding our housing subsidy programs and preserving the affordability of the region’s existing stock, KCHA remains focused on the need for regional growth that supports healthy and inclusive communities. This includes combating the region’s increasing income segregation through broadened geographic choices — choices that enable low- income households to live in neighborhoods near job opportunities and where strong schools and communities support economic mobility. I am very pleased that 28% of KCHA’s deeply subsidized households with children now live in high-opportunity neighborhoods. Our progress continued this year with a new initiative, funded by the Gates Foundation, to build on these efforts. Creating Moves to Opportunity, a three-year pilot program, will empower households with Housing Choice Vouchers to make informed decisions about which neighborhoods best support their family’s needs and aspirations. It is equally important, however, that the region’s existing low-income neighborhoods become communities of opportunity. To this end KCHA is doubling down — investing in education, health, and self-sufficiency partnerships that support the needs and aspirations not only of KCHA’s residents, but of the broader community. Nowhere is that more evident than in White Center, where we continue to invest in the expansion of early learning, pre-school, and after-school programs and access to health care, and in the regional network of 15 community centers we’ve built and fund in support of neighborhood youth. None of this year’s accomplishments would have been possible without the extraordinary commitment of the staff here at KCHA. This report is accordingly dedicated to them and the tremendous job and hard work they do every day in supporting our residents and King County’s communities. Sincerely, Stephen Norman LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR