Our Story
Everyone needs a home to achieve their highest potential.
We provide safe, permanently affordable housing to 1,400 people, along with case management and supportive services to help them thrive.
Our Values
We believe that communities are stronger when everyone has a place to call home.
We…
honor and respect the DIGNITY of every human being’s life and experience
provide a safe HOME that offers stability and opens up opportunities
support COMMUNITY that connects people and allows everyone to thrive together
operate with INTEGRITY that stewards resources and relationships
In 1987, a small group of highly passionate people at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue, WA saw a clear need for more affordable housing in East King County. They soon formed St. Andrew’s Housing Group as an independent non-profit organization focused entirely on creating affordable apartment homes in the region.
Today, because of the of ongoing grassroots commitment of local citizens, 639 affordable apartments exist in Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island and Redmond.
From the very beginning and for nearly 35 years now, our community has worked to preserve and expand permanent affordable housing options in King County’s eastside.
Timeline
Saint Andrew’s Housing Group (SAHG) Founded
Volunteers in the office at Saint Andrew’s Lutheran Church. Those early years saw the talented and dedicated founding board of directors creating relationships and raising the funds to build our first community.
Andrew’s Arms Completed
In 1992, Saint Andrew’s Housing Group (SAHG) opened its first housing development, Andrew’s Arms, offering 14 units of affordable housing in Issaquah, Washington.
Hired First Executive Director, Eric Brown
In 1993, SAHG’s first Executive Director, was hired and the groundbreaking work of the volunteers began to pay off as SAHG entered into a period of dramatic growth and accomplishment.
A Period of Dramatic Growth
Within 8 years, SAHG added another 176 units to the portfolio with the development and acquisition of Andrew’s Heights (1995), Highland Gardens (1998), Terrace Hill (1999) Grace Place (2001, formerly Ellsworth House), and Kirkland Plaza (2001).
Resident Services Department Created
As we grew with the community, our team saw the positive impact that stable housing creates for people and added staff to coordinate and provide services to support residents’ stability as needed. This new expansion to SAHG’s resident-centric approach marked a huge period of growth for the agency in terms of staffing, as well as a re-envisioning of the agency’s mission and connection to the Eastside community. During this time, SAHG continued to develop quality affordable apartment communities, and expanded services to residents with new programs.
Name Changed to Imagine Housing
Saint Andrew’s Housing Group was renamed Imagine Housing, to more broadly reflect our mission to build and operate permanent affordable rental communities and provide support within those communities.
639 Apartment Homes Created, Serving 1,400 People
Additional communities were developed and added to Imagine Housing’s portfolio, including the first Transit Oriented Development, Velocity, which is an award-winning community developed in partnership with the cities of Kirkland and Bellevue, as well as King County Transit. We expanded services to residents with new programs, such as partnering with the VA to develop and offer transitional housing for veterans at Andrew’s Glen.
A Bold Vision on the Horizon
We now own and operate 15 apartment communities, and have more in our future development pipeline.
We have reached an exciting inflection point in our organizational history and are developing a bold vision that is informed by the local community. Together with leaders in the community, like you, we can better serve Imagine Housing residents, preserve affordable housing and create more accessible housing opportunities for low-income individuals on the Eastside.