Our Origin Story
"DVAHC started with a group of us coming together because we were worried about what was happening in our neighborhood. Many of us were already connected through community work, and we kept hearing the same concerns: unsafe housing conditions, rising rents, and families being pushed out. Displacement wasn’t just a concept; it was happening to people we knew and cared about. So we started asking what we could do.
In the early days, we met, listened, and went door to door to hear directly from our neighbors. Our meetings were often in Spanish, reflecting our community and our commitment to staying accessible and grounded. People wanted safe, stable housing and many shared a desire for homeownership, even if it felt out of reach.
We formed as a coalition because we knew this work couldn’t be done alone. Together, we explored different strategies for keeping our community rooted, from tenant support and preserving existing housing to imagining new developments that could truly serve our neighborhood.
Not everything worked out, but each step helped us learn and clarify our path. What has stayed constant is our belief that our community deserves housing that is stable, dignified, and rooted in who we are, and that the people most impacted should be shaping what comes next." - Maria Ramirez, Founding Coalition Member
Our Origin Story
"DVAHC started with a group of us coming together because we were worried about what was happening in our neighborhood. Many of us were already connected through community work, and we kept hearing the same concerns: unsafe housing conditions, rising rents, and families being pushed out. Displacement wasn’t just a concept; it was happening to people we knew and cared about. So we started asking what we could do.
In the early days, we met, listened, and went door to door to hear directly from our neighbors. Our meetings were often in Spanish, reflecting our community and our commitment to staying accessible and grounded. People wanted safe, stable housing and many shared a desire for homeownership, even if it felt out of reach.
We formed as a coalition because we knew this work couldn’t be done alone. Together, we explored different strategies for keeping our community rooted, from tenant support and preserving existing housing to imagining new developments that could truly serve our neighborhood.
Not everything worked out, but each step helped us learn and clarify our path. What has stayed constant is our belief that our community deserves housing that is stable, dignified, and rooted in who we are, and that the people most impacted should be shaping what comes next." - Maria Ramirez, Founding Coalition Member
OUR MISSION
To keep our neighborhood rooted, affordable, and stewarded by the people of the Duwamish Valley in care for each other and the land.
OUR VISION
A Duwamish Valley where homes are permanently affordable, community spaces thrive under local stewardship, and neighbors work together to care for each other and the land, ensuring a resilient future for generations to come.
OUR STRATEGIES
Develop Affordable
Housing
Work with mission-aligned partners to build new affordable homes for families, including those displaced from the Duwamish Valley. Learn more here
Grow Community
Controlled Assets
Build and steward community-owned spaces where people can live, neighbors can gather, small businesses can thrive, and essential services can take root.
Transform Existing
Housing
Keep homes in community hands by helping homeowners place properties into our land trust and supporting tenants in purchasing their buildings and forming resident-owned cooperatives.
