Heads Up

Welcome Home to Kenyon House

On October 21st, friends and colleagues from the collaborative partnership of Building Changes, Housing Resources Group, and Sound Mental Health gathered to celebrate the opening of this bold new project that will become a permanent home for people who are living with HIV/AIDS and who struggle with multiple diagnoses such as mental illness, chemical addictions, or histories of incarceration.

Conceived of and initiated by Building Changes, Kenyon House will be co-operated by Housing Resources Group and Sound Mental Health (formerly Seattle Mental Health) through the stabilization period, after which Sound Mental Health will assume long-term ownership. Kenyon House consists of 18 service-enriched studio apartments for extremely low-income individuals with complex needs. Features include on-site supportive services with daily transportation to Bailey-Boushay House's Adult Day Health Program, secured entry, common dining and living areas, laundry facilities, a remembrance garden, and dedicated outdoor green space.

Brian Knowles, Executive Director of Bailey-Boushay House, eloquently summarized how Kenyon House residents would benefit from the nurturing and supportive community of Bailey-Boushay House, where 85% of patients are alone and otherwise without the support of family and friends. Residents of Kenyon will carry that spirit of community home, where it can flourish and be nurtured at Kenyon House.

The opening of Kenyon House marked yet another milestone for Building Changes and was an historical moment, as Kenyon will be our last collaborative housing project. It has been an honor to spearhead the creation of housing for some of the hardest to house homeless populations in our community. Building Changes continues to work toward to a future where all members of our community have hope and the opportunity for dignity, health, safety, and prosperity.