Our History
In 1980, the members of downtown Seattle’s Plymouth Congregational Church
became deeply concerned when they realized homeless people were sleeping on
their church doorstep. Dr. David Colwell challenged his congregation to end homelessness in
downtown Seattle. Church members responded and founded Plymouth Housing Group as an
independent, non-profit organization to develop and opera
te housing for
homeless people in Seattle. Today, Plymouth is governed by a 21-member
community Board of Trustees that includes two tenant representatives. Plymouth Housing Group has since grown to be one of the largest providers of
very low-income housing in downtown Seattle. With over 1,000 residents and
17 retail tenants in 13 buildings, Plymouth Housing Group today has an annual
operating budget of $19 million. In 2012, Plymouth completed a $22 million Sustaining Hope Capital Campaign
which resulted in the renovation of two Plymouth properties, the Lewiston
Apartments and Pacific Apartments, and the construction of Plymouth’s Pat
Williams Apartments in South Lake Union. Plymouth Housing Group’s comprehensive approach to providing affordable
housing and supportive services has been overwhelmingly successful, earning our
organization local and national recognition as a leader in the effort to end
homelessness.
