When Plymouth Housing develops a new building, we’re not simply constructing a residence for people leaving homelessness. We’re also becoming part of a community. Our goal, whenever we have a project in a new place, is to ensure that residents, businesses, schools, and faith organizations in our new neighborhood see a friendly face first—not a construction site.

That’s why proactive community engagement is a vital and daily part of Plymouth’s work. We build relationships with local groups, attend public meetings and events, and actively solicit feedback when and where we develop new buildings. This is essential to build trust with all members of the community, and to support those from the community who will be moving into our building.

“Our residents do best when the neighborhood wants to help support them, which is why developing relationships is a core part of our mission to transform lives,” said Evan Sexton, External Engagement Coordinator at Plymouth.

If you want to see Eastsiders get the resources they need to leave homelessness behind, come see us at a community meeting—it means so much as we continue this work!

Committed to being a good neighbor

To date, Plymouth has 17 buildings in King County—with two more on the Eastside in the works. The specifics of our community engagement efforts differ—each city and community has a unique identity, housing goals, leadership, and needs. In Redmond, for example, where we have a new building opening in 2026, Plymouth has been proactively reaching out to the neighborhood and creating opportunities for people to ask questions, express concerns, and offer ideas for how to deepen our roots in the city.

 

We are honored that The City of Redmond has asked us to help them achieve its affordable housing goals, and we look forward to creating a welcoming, supportive environment for some of the city’s most vulnerable members. In addition to working closely with the City, our team has attended City Council meetings, reached out to neighboring business owners, and convened roundtable conversations attended by Plymouth leadership, board members, and current residents (learn more about Deb, a resident currently serving on our board).

Plymouth team members have been busy bringing local leaders to existing Plymouth buildings, attending community events, and holding as many conversations as possible. Over the summer, Plymouth tabled in downtown Redmond at Derby Days and the Move Redmond festival, where we got to meet many of our future neighbors in the Cleveland Street community and talk more about our plans for our newest development.

Guided by local communities

We also are building formal groups to provide ongoing and detailed feedback. In November we kicked off our Community Advisory Group, a convening of people who live, work, learn, or have a business in Redmond. CAG members are asking hard questions and offering invaluable input about the expectations and role of permanent supportive housing in their community. Their participation is making this process—and building—a stronger and more successful part of downtown Redmond.

 

As Plymouth prepares to operate King County’s Health through Housing building in Kirkland, opening in late 2025, engaging with residents and businesses has been a priority. So far, we have held an online townhall attended by over 250 people, multiple community focus groups, and six meetings with local businesses close to the Kirkland site. In March we attended a Houghton Neighborhood Association community meeting to engage neighbors in productive conversation.

“Our goal is to be a respectful and valued part of this community. We welcome outreach and questions from community members as this project continues,” Sexton said.

Plymouth Eastside office hours

If you live or work on the Eastside and want to end homelessness, we would love to hear from you. As we bring more permanent supportive housing to the region, we are hosting monthly Eastside Community Office Hours at the Together Center in Redmond.

Our office hours are regularly scheduled, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. We’re using these office hours to take referrals, connect community members to existing Eastside service and housing providers, and answer questions from our Eastside neighbors.

We look forward to strengthening our connections and supporting the community in this important work. Please join us!