In 1980, members of downtown Seattle’s Plymouth Congregational Church were deeply concerned when they realized people were sleeping on their church doorstep. Rev. David Colwell challenged his congregation to come up with a solution, proclaiming “one homeless person is one too many.”
Church members responded with the foundation of Plymouth Housing, a non-profit, independent organization to develop and operate housing for those facing homelessness.
During Plymouth’s second decade, we deepened our commitment to our residents and put the pieces into place for a long, strong future. We added supportive services to our apartments to help our residents achieve stability in housing, adopted our first strategic plan, and began advocating for public policy changes to benefit Seattle’s residents experiencing homelessness.
In our third decade, Plymouth completed a $22 million Sustaining Hope Capital Campaign, resulting in the renovation of two existing properties, the Lewiston and Pacific Apartments, as well as the construction of the Pat Williams Apartments. We launched our Key to Hope luncheon and showed that housing those experiencing homelessness is both compassionate and cost-effective.
Plymouth became one of the largest providers of low-income housing in downtown Seattle, growing to serve over 1,200 residents and 17 retail tenants in 14 buildings in the 2010s. Our comprehensive approach in supporting those who face homelessness with both housing and supportive services earned the organization local and national recognition.
Reverend Dr. David Colwell of Plymouth Church paints an apartment.
The historic Lewiston Hotel, Plymouth’s second building, was given additional renovations thanks to the Sustaining Hope Capital Campaign.
Maya Angelou at the 2009 Key to Hope.
The Pat Williams Apartments in South Lake Union was funded by the Sustaining Hope Capital Campaign.
Residents, staff, and community members regularly gather to share music, poetry, and more at Plymouth Place’s Open Mic Nights.
Sylvia Odom (right), who chaired the committee that created Plymouth Housing, leads a tour of the Lewiston Hotel in 1983.
Paul Lambros, early in his Plymouth career, speaks with a resident.
BJ Houston, Building Manager of the Lewiston Hotel, in the 90s.