Features Oct 16, 2013 at 4:00 am

How did affordable artist housing in Seattle’s least-white neighborhoods end up more than 80 percent white?

People may sleep outside overnight to try to get into Artspace Mt. Baker Lofts. Selection is first-come, first-served. E-mail rebecca.morton@artspace.org to receive notification of applications, workshops for help applying, and advance notice for when it’s time to camp out. The Stranger

Comments

1
Here's how HUD came up with $86,700: http://www.huduser.org/portal/datasets/i…

I would encourage anyone looking for affordable housing to consider my former employer, Bellwether Housing. http://www.bellwetherhousing.org/ When I worked there they didn't use waiting lists (unless required for very low income housing). If I recall correctly, they qualify your income first and then you choose among whatever vacancies you qualify for. It's the only sane way to handle affordable housing inventory in my mind and experience.
2
Thank you, Jen, for writing about this. Someone needs to speak up.
3
Seattle just likes to name shit after people of color. It gives the impression that Seattle is progressive and open-minded and Politically correct.

Like the Hiawatha Lofts. Gimme a fucking break. Hiawatha Lofts. What the fuck does Hiawatha have to do with art or Seattle? Hiawatha, an Iroquois was from the East. And of course, the Hiawatha Lofts don't even have one Native American in residence.

Maybe they can get Sherman Alexie to stop by and write a poem every other week or so.

4
Hey Colin- That system doesn't work so well when the building is brand new and there are dozens of vacancies all at once when a new building opens.
5
@4 Finish Tag, true. I meant to criticize the use of waiting lists at existing buildings (if funding sources don't require it). I should also acknowledge that Bellwether has the advantage of a large inventory of apartments in several buildings; its natural turnover rate means that they should have at least few units vacant and available at any given time, so there's much less impetus to camp out or fall into despair at the prospect of a several month long waiting list that applicants facing an emergency can't afford to wait on.

For new lease-ups of moderate housing, NYC seems to use a lottery system with a preliminary application submission deadline a few months before the building opens. That avoids the camp outs and puts everyone on equal footing for the initial lease up, though awareness probably remains a problem.

6
Umm, because shit's going according to plan? Come on.... Artists and gentrification, it's like milk and cookies. And how gentrification usually works, is first you get the white artists in, then you kick out the black people (or other minority)
7
USING THE MEDIAN INCOME OF $86,000 defeats the purpose of helping low income artist. especially people of color who dont even make average of $24,000. of course you will have majority whites, who make those median income. its set up to white preference, white privilege by default of using such a income base. section 8 and other housing programs for low income people or even food stamps define low income at 20% of the median income being used by ARTSPACE. so guess who will be in the buildings.
8
...because suddenly that's all anyone can afford?
9
Re: @8: Sorry. I worded my first comment wrong. Let me rephrase:
The current qualifying bar set for applicants [by the HUD for King County] at $86,700 is high for a lot of brilliant, talented people who cannot find jobs no matter how solid their professional, educational, and ethnical backgrounds. $86,700 wouldn't be affordable for me to live in Seattle, and I'm a Seattle-born native of Caucasian roots. My remark wasn't meant to be flippant, but to further illustrate Jen Graves' point: How did $86,700 become "the new affordable"? Aren't skyrocketing extortionist rents driving a lot of people out of Seattle?

Okay. My bust, and I'll take my lashes with a wet noodle for admittedly only skimming this well written article by Jen Graves the first time (forgive me!). A much warranted, more thorough re-read was a real wake up call for me, sending me back to the good old days when I could rent a one bedroom apartment in Ballard with secure garage parking space for $560 a month while enrolled at the Art Institute of Seattle back in the 1990s! This subject really must be further addressed and soon.
It is blatantly obvious that the insanely wealthy are out to destroy what has made Seattle so desirable---and until now, affordable---a place to live for so many.
10
the point is ARTSPACE using such a high income to draw people from, while stating helping low income artists. if the income guidlines used by other non profits and governments trying to help low income folks were used by ARTSPACE, then the real targeted population would be realized. the other factor is to hire people of color who know the communities and dont have to wait to have others tell ARTSPACE staff where to go to do outreach. poc networks know where all the poc communities and events are!!
12
@3, it's called Hiawatha Lofts because it's on Hiawatha Place S. So it's not directly named after that particular Native American, but rather after its location. The street wasn't originally named that, and I can't quickly tell when it was renamed. But anyway, that's the story.

@9, are you saying you couldn't live in Seattle on $86,700 a year? Plenty of people do it for less...
13
Does anyone know of any tricks to get local officials to address racial inequity?

I live on Mid Beacon Hill, where our majority-non-English-speaking community of color is being kicked out of its school walk zone, to be bussed far away. Another white neighborhood NOT in the walk zone was allowed to stay at Maple after a coordinated feedback effort.

None of the materials have been translated into any of the languages of our neighborhood. The district hasn't sent any flyers home with kids, not even in English. The only notices have been electronic (and not specific or translated).

We had 5 out of the 25 testimony spots at the School Board meeting last night (we'd grabbed 6 but donated one to an East African woman speaking out on a similar issue is SW). So the district definitely knows, but is there any way to make them at least pretend to care?

http://midbeaconhill.blogspot.com/2013/1…
14
Seattle is about 70% white. http://www.seattle.gov/oir/datasheet/dem…
16
(Sorry -- I realize now that 70% comment was about the article.)
17
Hiawatha Place S and Hiawatha lofts are both named after Iroquois who was from the East.

regardless of proximity to the existing street...art space should have used another name or made sure a lot of indians were housed there at least!

just because the city once named it after an indian..doesnt mean artspace should just follow same pattern...be creative...man
19
An important discussion, but there are inaccuracies in this data. The stats listed for TK are inaccurate. It is perhaps promising that the TK Lofts Manager is a person of color.
20
well then update us all with the current stats...
21
@12 lukobe: I don't have an income of $86,700 a year. While I'm sure others can and do manage to get by on less (I do where I live), it does sound like from what I have been reading in articles in The Seattle Times and here in The Stranger that anything that's affordable is being razed to make room for luxury condos, which I couldn't possibly afford.
Single family homes in Seattle are vanishing alarmingly fast, which I think is a crying shame.
22
As an artist who has lived in the Hiawatha for the past three years, I take issue with some of the facts presented in this article.

The system is very fair, you put yourself on the list for consideration and then have a meeting with a panel where you present your art when your name comes up. According to the building manager, only a couple of people have been turned down, and it's because they were not active artists. Not because of their color.

I got into the Hiawatha after being on the list for about 6 months, I also put myself on the list for the TK building and my name came up after I was already at the Hiawatha. The only criteria was income and proof that I was actively pursuing my art. It's not always that cheap either, I was paying over $900 for a one bedroom and though I'm moving out, I put myself back on the list and also the Mt. Baker list.
That's right, there is a list.

If you are concerned about the diversity, then encourage people of color to go through the process and they will get a unit when their name comes up as long as they are practicing artist and meet the income requirements.

I can attest to the fact that there is a pretty diverse crowd here, the statistics presented in this article are not accurate. I don't know everyone in the building, but personally know several people of African and Asian descent as well as many people who are gay, lesbian, elderly and disabled. I have been on the board, interviewing potential tenants and we only look at whether or not they are currently making art. That's it.

23
Did this article ever answer the question it posed in the subtitle? From reading it twice, it sounds like this place ended up 80% white because that is the percentage of people who got up early one morning and waited in a line to be let in the door. Being The Stranger, that obviously can't be the answer the author is suggesting. Is she suggesting that when somebody moves out of the apartments the first-come first-served rule isn't adhered to? Or is she suggesting that non-whites simply do not know these places exist? Confusing.
24
@18

Alternatively, people *able* to pay for it is very limited.
25
What is not being said here is public funds are being used for the benefit of primarily white artists, instead of benefiting people of color artists. Artspace Projects, Inc, the organization received public money for the Mount Baker Lofts project to the tune of 1.8 million dollars from the Seattle Housing Levy and it's clear their track record in helping artists who are people of color is pretty dismal. The facts don't lie. Housing discrimination has been illegal since 1968, and yet these statistics suggest Artspace Projects, Inc is not distributing affordable artist housing in a fair and equitable manner to people of color. However the rules, criteria, or selection process works, people of color are being excluded. The Seattle Housing Levy is paid for by property taxes, so everyone pays, but only white artists receive the benefit of subsidized artist housing.
26
"Single family homes in Seattle are vanishing alarmingly fast..."

BS. 65% of the land are of Seattle is reserved by law exclusively for single-family homes.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/S…
27
Maybe there is less importance placed on becoming a working artist in those communities/cultures (I honestly don't know) so less of a demand for that kind of housing. When I went to art school it was almost all white or Asian students. Even tho the image of the poor starving artist persists, I suspect the dream of being a working arts is more born out of an affluent culture. I was raised in a white suburban utopia where I was given free range to follow my bliss. That just might not be a reality for people coming out of more impoverished areas so they may not make the decision pursue their creative skills and outlets professionally. I really don't know. Just a thought.
28
Why the racial composition at Hiawatha is what it is could be answered by, if the information is available, revealing who applied to live there and how it was promoted. Otherwise, this article baits the hook of assumptions with the raw meat of hypersensitive pieties. Something to fill the pages of The Stranger in the absence of actual writing on art. To better answer the situation, we should examine the cultural differences between how the arts are regarded by whites and non whites. And how do non whites think of such housing projects?

As well: "One woman said to me, 'Well, I don't see color,'" Galvan recalled. "I said, 'You're an artist—how can you not see color?' And then this black dude did come by from next door. And I said, 'Hey, brother, what color are you?' and he said, 'I'm black,' and I asked her, 'What color is he?' and she wouldn't say a thing." I think this woman meant to convey that she at least aspires to be color blind and her silence may have meant that she simply didn't know how to proceed—why would she commit social suicide by being obtuse and retrograde as Galvan implies? But Galvan assumed that she was indifferent if not callous, conflating the physical perception of color with the perception of racial differences.
29
first..what constitute art is media driven and white controlled..and markets are developed from the media responses. the inherent superiority complex of white culture is to negate other cultures art. hence no markets.
a criteria, of an education in white school art classes is almost a prerequisite to be considered in art projects and opportunities.
almost all artist of all races and cultures would like to make a living from their work.
and yes..it is NOT a reality for most people of color to have educational opportunities. you went to white suburbia schools loaded with tax dollars to get you better schools and teachers. so yes you get to pursue you bliss es. welcome to color people reality..we dont..and the myth and fight to rid affirmative action with raps like whites are victims, colored get grants and free passes continues. especially in pc yuppie land of seattle. check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privi…
30
hey fishfeet...no baits and hooks...just tell it as it is...she couldnt...too busy being pc...and revealed the myth and pat answer of not seeing color is a comfortable way to by pass race issues and realities...
its one of the comfort level cushions whites use to continue their white privilege...other words are diversity(or cultural diversity), comfort level,appropriate, and a few others
please re read :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privi…
31
hey fishfeet..but you are correct that further investigation would help to answer some questions as to policies, outreach, racial demographic profiles of the applicants at art space. not only here in Seattle but across the ARTSPACE national housing stock. i wrote to artspace for these statistics and no response...so without info..one does make assumptions... so help out and go get the statistics from Artspace and make it look data based information rather than flippant accusations. as you suggest!..we can use more allies in the afforests to undo institutional racism
32
KILL WHITEY!!!
33
kill whitey?
even malcom x rose above that one..took me decades...but i learned from my elders not to reduce my self to the level of my oppressors.

we are all our creators children....and was directed to seek allies with good hearts.

who see through the mist of deceptions that surround us.
34
Perhaps we need to look at access to quality arts education in our south end schools. Historically arts education has been seen as a luxury and in our south end school nearly non existent. Not so in our well supported and funded north end schools that have populations that can raise funds to provide enrichment. There is a positive movement to equalize this playing field so hopefully in the future we will see more students of colors experiencing arts as a viable career and life path.
36
The government needs to divide the country's populated areas into grids of about 50x50 foot squares, then take every individual in the country and sort them by race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and so on. Distribute the population among the squares at random but make sure that each square represents every group equally. People could still move freely from one grid to the next as long as someone of the same race/etc swapped places with them of course to keep the ratios balanced. Maybe the Department of Transportation could issue travel permits or something. Sadly, until the day we see this happen, the sort of racial injustice described in this article will likely continue.
37
Like it or not, civility and safety are directly related to neighborhood residential cost. Like it or not, "gentrification" pragmatically means cleaning up the neighborhood and improving civility and safety.
38
My only problem with this article comes from Galvan's comment at the end and the approach to diversity this represents, "turning all the low income housing into mixed income growth, turning people out of the city."

First, people are getting turned out of the city because centrality and urban surroundings are cool. For every net loss of one subsidized housing unit, there have been 10 losses of neighborhood homes that the market simply turned on. In other words, a single "strategy" can only be applied to centrally managed housing, and the big losses in low income units are NOT in centrally managed properties (AKA - SHA). The market moved urban for a whole lotta reasons, people bought close to the city where they could afford it and are less afraid of diversity than in past generations.

Second, the complaint USED to be, that the "strategy" was to create ghettos where low-income people were penned in, incapable of moving anywhere else, and then deny them adequate services while serving the rest of the (richer, whiter) city. So, the fact that the former ghetto is getting some people with higher incomes could be seen as an improvement on that OLD problem. But it brought a new problem - which is people with more money drive up land values and then people with less can't afford to live there anymore.

The real problem is this - the city is balancing its growth with mixed income even while the city as a whole gets more expensive. But the city refuses to TRULY integrate the city by putting low-income, subsidized units in all the neighborhoods that fought them during the ghetto-ization years. So now, low-income residents are fighting within their own neighborhoods rather than being given options THROUGHOUT the city, such that we don't repeat the ghetto problem of a generation ago.

Put 5000 low income units in a mixture of Admiral, Ravenna, Wedgwood, View Ridge, Laurelhurst, Madison Park, N Cap Hill, Green Lake, Wallingford, Fremont, and upper Queen Anne. Otherwise, the market and the well-intentioned efforts of SHA to NOT re-ghettoize certain neighborhoods are going to push these people out. Which is wrong.

I just think the quote identifies all the wrong problems, and fails to supply a solution.
39
@26 dendroc: Thanks for sharing your article, and calling me on what I didn't know regarding single family housing availabilities still in Seattle.
I'm reading a lot of articles in The Seattle Times as well as here on The Stranger online about the continued loss of classic old mom-n-pop taverns, shops, and yes, single-family neighborhoods that are currently cramming in condos. I feel this is sad. While growth is inevitable, the rezoning in some districts is losing the charm and livability within its infrastructure (look at the Mercer Mess and Ballard for starters). How about narrow streets that have been widened for bikers, yet are STILL unsafe for merging cyclists and pedestrians amid heavy traffic?
But you're right---I don't fully know the housing situation in Seattle because I haven't actually been a resident since 1997.
I have seen a LOT of changes, though, over the last 16 years, and not all of them have been what I would consider beneficial for the city and people of Seattle. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned and missing the good old days of what Seattle used to be like for me as a kid. *sigh*
40
its very complex data /numbers game...bottom line...all race and income groups can use more affordable housing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yesler_Terr…
the point is that lately when housing is increased for mixed income...the actual housing units are reduced ...housing units numbers are lower, demolished so new units can be built to attract mid income people. but then the lower income units reduced are not replaced.the people that are/were removed during demolish and construction were/are displaced. with less affordable housing units in the city..many low income people are forced to find units in kent, renton, etc. now if you never lived in these units..then you are coming from an abstract mind set not of experience. many of my friends and my own family lived in high point, holly park etc. and saw it all go down. sure property values go up, higher income folks move in..and you heartless yapper...think that makes it alright. yet we are all residents that should not just be subjected to market forces..it is in the power of elected and motivated citizens to make accommodations for all. though build efforts for affordable housing for all not just people making money...which affected by all the social factors ..that tilt towards success or failure. tactics of rent control..i forget the advocates name who has hammered for years this city with the data revealing all these truths. but the influx of yuppies..who LAND HERE with full consumer blind eyes spitting out the all american up by your boot strap survive rhetoric ...make it even harder
41
ps..here all you folks..educate yourself to this affordable housing battle been raging for over a decade!..then make your comments..with background..so you dont nit pick each word or phase as you did in college..and see the bigger picture..if truly concerned or interested
Google: Seattle Displacement Coalition J-Fox
42
Fuck art.
43
"But the city refuses to TRULY integrate the city by putting low-income, subsidized units in all the neighborhoods that fought them during the ghetto-ization years. So now, low-income residents are fighting within their own neighborhoods rather than being given options THROUGHOUT the city, such that we don't repeat the ghetto problem of a generation ago."

So true, and the only really relevant thing in this comment stream. The higher-income neighborhoods have become gated communities, with the City acknowledging those invisible gates.
44
Manifest Destiny.
45
I suspect many of the commenters here are artists --and we artist are notorious for kind of sucking at mathematics. There also seems to be some confusion in the early comments about how the income qualifications work.

So I would like to point out:
To income-qualify, an artist's income must be 60 percent or lower of the area median income as measured by HUD, which for King County is $86,700.
So to get a space in these lofts the applying artist must make less than $52,020 a year. (i.e.: 60% of $86,700/yr)

And, again, that's LESS THAN, not more than, folks.

p.s. Attn Stranger staff/moderator:
Can you delete comments #11 & #35? (Clearly spam marketing BS.)
46
About 13 years ago, I joined a committee formed by the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA) to look into a use for the Old Cooper School on Delridge Way. The neighbors involved spent many nights brainstorming all the possible uses. We believed that's why we were asked to volunteer. There was a lot of support for McMenamins to buy the building and turn it into one of their unique and popular hotel/brew pubs. McMenamins was interested and we felt that it would be a huge step toward economic viability in the Delridge neighborhood. Eventually a vote was put to the community. Neighbors had to stop at the Delridge Community Center on a certain day. I think about 100 people voted. The majority of votes went to artist live/work space according to DNDA. At that point, many of us realized that all along DNDA, a group of urban planners and architects, wanted that use because it was something they could develop and take credit for rather than sell the building to a private company like McMenamins. The steering committee was actually steering us in an attempt to make it appear democratic. The vote was anything but and after it, the people on the committee interested in McMenamins or other viable uses drifted away while people in favor of the artist live/work use took over. At that time, Delridge was one of the only affordable neighborhoods in Seattle and it was ethnically diverse. It's so disappointing, but not at all shocking, that it's full of white people. I still get riled up when I think about how we were duped.
47
very slick white folks...before that old cooper school was almost a surplus property...the indian community asked if we could use it to build a Indian Heritage School to focused on and reduce dropout the highest in the city.and build a stronger community...over time, the white non profits and school district found ways to kick folks out...
48
One wonders how the stats sent to the reporter by the Seattle City Housing Office were gathered. Artspace Hiawatha has a small number of non-white residents whose origins (e.g. Latino/Hispanic; Jewish) are not listed in the stats reported in the article. (For demographic/gov't purposes Latino/Hispanics are almost always listed as such, assuming the residents checked that on any forms when applying to be a resident. Jews are not white; they are Jews. In American society the term white firmly infers and connotes Christian.)
There are also residents of E. African descent and/or mideast descent in some of the low-income qualifying housing published in the list. Were any erroneously listed as "white"?
Lastly, the use of "Asian" as a demographic description (of residents) needs clarification: Does the Housing office mean residents who are themselves immigrants from Asian countries? If yes then the term "Asian" would be tolerable. If "Asian" residents are of Asian descent (second, third generation, etc) then the usage is not only inappropriate, it can be considered offensive or worse.
As such it would be akin to calling me *(temporarily omitting the fact that I'm Jewish) "Russian," "Lithuanian" or "Polish" since my grandparents hailed from areas in regions that are now those countries or had been part of those countries (whatwith border changes during the 20th C.).
But I'm neither Russian, Lithuanian nor Polish; I'm American. Hence a far better and appropriate usage would be Asian-American.
49
poor is poor is poor is poor. and if you were poor you would know that. whatever color you are -- if you are desperate enough to camp out you need housing. period. and if mostly white people are camping out to get housing despite all the agressive outreach to find people of color, then are still alot of poor white people who need housing too. period. the stats will skew when you just look at the demographics based on income over the demographics from the census as a whole. so if the stranger and people are going to complain about poor white people living in neighborhoods with ethnic diversity well then let's build artspace in white neighborhoods and then we can argue about how artspace doesn't build in ethnic neighborhhoods. truth is, the rich white neighborhoods don't want us either. poor is poor and there simply is not enough housing. artspace allows you to be able to work as an artist in your home and sell your product through a gallery, vendor, etc. you cannot directly sell from your home but all other options are viable. bellwether and other affordable housing, in general, does not allow for this.
50
poor is poor is poor is poor. and if you were poor you would know that. whatever color you are -- if you are desperate enough to camp out you need housing. period. and if mostly white people are camping out to get housing despite all the agressive outreach to find people of color, then are still alot of poor white people who need housing too. period. the stats will skew when you just look at the demographics based on income over the demographics from the census as a whole. so if the stranger and people are going to complain about poor white people living in neighborhoods with ethnic diversity well then let's build artspace in white neighborhoods and then we can argue about how artspace doesn't build in ethnic neighborhhoods. truth is, the rich white neighborhoods don't want us either. poor is poor and there simply is not enough housing. artspace allows you to be able to work as an artist in your home and sell your product through a gallery, vendor, etc. you cannot directly sell from your home but all other options are viable. bellwether and other affordable housing, in general, does not allow for this.
51
Thank you for this article. there is a long history of artist catalyzing the gentrification of poor neighborhoods. I think this is often a strategy utilized by developers in modern day times. I think the lack of diversity in artist housing is a huge issue especially in the context that it often catalyzes the displacement of minorities from their homes. Thank you for writing about this!!
52
It's stunning that so few commenters here have questioned the income limit ArtSpace uses. It so clearly contributes to the inequity -- probably more than any other factor. Do people really think that earning less than $52,020 a year (60% of the "median" of $83,qualifies as low income? Why is Bellevue included by HUD when determining the median income, and why is the median skewed by excluding non-homeowners?

While areavibes.com may not be the most official source, it is presumably in the ballpark. Check it out here: http://www.areavibes.com/seattle-wa/cent…. In the Central district, median household income is $42,312, not $83K+. RENTER OCCUPIED is $40,023, and OWNER OCCUPIED is $83,472.

The last median includes ONLY those who own their own homes. This is the median HUD and therefore ArtSpace uses (for Seattle/Bellevue instead of for the Central District). I don't have time to find Seattle/Bellevue stats right now, but Seattle as a whole has a median of $60,665, with $40,023 renters only and $83,472 homeowners only. So either way, the median ArtSpace uses is skewed to favor homeowners by at least 25%, roughly speaking. This makes a claim of low income artist housing disingenuous.
53
It's stunning that so few commenters here have questioned the income limit ArtSpace uses. It so clearly contributes to the inequity -- probably more than any other factor. Do people really think that earning less than $52,020 a year (60% of the "median" of $83,qualifies as low income? Why is Bellevue included by HUD when determining the median income, and why is the median skewed by excluding non-homeowners?

While areavibes.com may not be the most official source, it is presumably in the ballpark. Check it out here: http://www.areavibes.com/seattle-wa/cent…. In the Central district, median household income is $42,312, not $83K+. RENTER OCCUPIED is $40,023, and OWNER OCCUPIED is $83,472.

The last median includes ONLY those who own their own homes. This is the median HUD and therefore ArtSpace uses (for Seattle/Bellevue instead of for the Central District). I don't have time to find Seattle/Bellevue stats right now, but Seattle as a whole has a median of $60,665, with $40,023 renters only and $83,472 homeowners only. So either way, the median ArtSpace uses is skewed to favor homeowners by at least 25%, roughly speaking. This makes a claim of low income artist housing disingenuous.

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