SHORELINE – St. Luke Parish has a long tradition of outreach that was strengthened when its pastor, Father Brad Hagelin, served as the archdiocese’s Vicar for Charities for six years.

“He consistently reminds us of the important work CCS does throughout Western Washington,” Lizzy Scholz, pastoral assistant for administration, explained in an email.

So the parish community was “very excited” when Catholic Community Services/Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington announced it was building a supportive housing project, St. Margaret’s Place, within the parish boundaries, Scholz said.

“It is so important for those in our (parish) community, especially our youth, to be able to serve and support those in our own neighborhood,” she added.

She said the parish gave part of its rebate from the archdiocese’s Called to Serve as Christ campaign to CCS and St. Margaret’s Place, a 100-unit building for formerly homeless men and women.

“Our community also created welcome baskets for new residents, helped in purchasing supplies, assisted in building furniture for the units and made cards,” Scholz added.

Members of St. Luke Parish in Shoreline assemble furniture in a hallway of St. Margaret’s Place, a 100-unit supportive residential building located within the parish boundaries that serves formerly homeless men and women. The building is a project of Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington. (Photo: Courtesy CCS)

St. Margaret’s Place, which opened in November 2023, was dedicated and blessed April 30 by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne.

“When Christ took flesh through the Blessed Virgin Mary, he made his home with us. Let us now pray that he will enter these new homes and bless them with his presence,” the archbishop said. “Inspired by his teachings and example, we seek to make these new homes before all else, dwelling places of love, diffusing far and wide the goodness of Christ.”

The archbishop later walked through the building, sprinkling holy water as he went.

Archbishop Paul D. Etienne sprinkles holy water during the April 30 blessing of St. Margaret’s Place in Shoreline. The 100-unit supportive residential building serving formerly homeless men and women was built by Catholic Community Services/Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington. (Photo: Courtesy of CCS)

The project used modular construction methods — portions of the building were fabricated off-site and later assembled on-site, according to the city of Shoreline.

St. Margaret’s Place is “the first modular constructed affordable housing project in King County,” said Dan Wise, agency director for CCS’ Coordinated Care Agency, who emceed the dedication event.

According to the city of Shoreline website, “King County is interested in seeing if this approach might bring affordable housing online more quickly and save money.”

St. Margaret’s Place in Shoreline is the first affordable housing building in King County to use modular construction methods. The supportive housing project, built by Catholic Community Services/Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington, offers 100 apartments for formerly homeless men and women, including 20 units for veterans. (Photo: Courtesy of CCS)

Wise expressed gratitude to the city of Shoreline “for making the land available and for King County and their leadership in an untested construction methodology. This building would never have been possible without the support and leadership of the city of Shoreline,” she added.

Each of the building’s 100 units — 80 studios and 20 one-bedroom apartments — are furnished with a twin-size bed, a dresser, a nightstand and a table. Twenty of the units are designated for veterans experiencing homelessness. The building is pet friendly and has a dog park on-site.

According to the city of Shoreline, half of the residents are at or below 30% of the area’s median income and half at or below 50% of the area’s median income.

Other partners in the project include the King County Housing Authority, the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission and Chase Bank.

Wise acknowledged “that we have had a few tenants in crisis since we’ve opened. Transition is hard, especially if you’ve lived life with significant trauma,” she said. She thanked the community’s first responders and police and fire leaders, noting “everyone we have encountered has been compassionate in their response to our tenants in crisis. And that is something that do not take for granted,” Wise added.

Bishop Frank Schuster reads from the Gospel of John during the April 30 dedication and blessing of St. Margaret’s Place in Shoreline. Bishop Schuster is chair of the boards of trustees for Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington. (Photo: Courtesy CCS)

During the dedication ceremony, Bishop Frank Schuster, chair of the boards of trustees for Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington, noted that Jesus was born in poverty to refugees, in a stable because there was no room in the inn.

Jesus “comes to proclaim the gospel of forgiveness of sins, of liberty to captives, of healing the sick,” Bishop Schuster said, “but also to call the world to a preferential option for the poor, which looks like seeing in the poor and marginalized the face of our brothers and sisters … as Pope Francis so eloquently calls us to.”

At St. Luke Parish, that call means an ongoing relationship with St. Margaret’s Place.

“First of all, we will constantly keep the staff and residents of St. Margaret’s Place in our prayers,” Scholz said. “We also plan on finding ways that we can engage with the community by hosting meals or faith formation opportunities. “

The parish wants to continue providing needed supplies “and find if there are ways to beautify the space to make it feel more like home,” she said. “We strive to continually learn the importance of loving our neighbor and recognizing the gifts we both give and receive in these important connections.”