An international music program is bringing live concerts to residents of affordable housing developments in several Seattle neighborhoods. Sponsored by Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise), The Home Tour will perform at six housing communities in Washington from Sept. 6 to Sept. 11.

  

LIHI will be hosting the first date of the tour on Friday September 6th at 7pm at its Ernestine Anderson Place:  2010 S. Jackson St.  Low Income Housing Institute supporters are invited to come to the show and to see our beautiful new housing for low income and formerly homeless seniors.

  

The Home Tour was founded in 2010 by singer-songwriter Mary McBride, acclaimed for her song "No One's Gonna Love You like Me," which appeared in the movie Brokeback Mountain.  McBride has also served as a cultural envoy for the U.S. Department of State in 17 countries since 2011. In Seattle, McBride and her band will perform live concerts at housing for veterans, homeless shelters, supportive-housing communities, senior apartments, and homes for people with mental and physical disabilities.

Mary McBride energizes a crowd

  

The audiences served reflect the city's diverse populations and include families with children, recent immigrants, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. At each concert, McBride and her band will be joined by local musicians, as well as the residents who are invited to perform. The Wall Street Journal describes The Home Tour as "a way of highlighting how communities can be nurtured, whether by sharing shelter, stories or live music," and The Washington Post describes the tour as "extraordinary."

  

Public officials locally and statewide have endorsed the tour, including Sen. Patty Murray. "The Home Tour has an extraordinary track record of providing some of our most vulnerable citizens, including seniors and veterans, with the opportunity to actively participate in a community celebration that honors where they live and the lives they are leading. I applaud their partnership with Enterprise Community Partners to bring this important opportunity to places people call home in Washington State." Congressman Jim McDermott said, "Live music brings people together like few other things can. Sadly, many don't have access to it. The Home Tour not only brings this experience to those who may otherwise miss out, but also brings much-needed attention to the unique communities and issues of the non-traditional 'homes' it highlights." The Home Tour concerts in Seattle will take place at Low Income Housing Institute's Ernestine Anderson Place in the Central District; Solid Ground's Sand Point and Brettler Family Place; King County Housing Authority's Greenbridge Plaza; and DESC's Canaday House and The Morrison. A concert is also scheduled for Sail River Heights, the site of a new affordable housing community for the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay. "We are thrilled to be able to partner with the Home Tour and Enterprise Community Partners to bring live music to many of our low-income senior residents who love music but aren't able to get out to hear live concerts," said Sharon Lee, executive director, Low Income Housing Institute. "It is especially poignant for us to host the tour at Ernestine Anderson Place, named after the famed 84-year-old jazz singer who grew up nearby in the Central District."

  

The Home Tour Washington Schedule

 

Friday, September 6, 7:00 PM                          Ernestine Anderson Place

                                                                                Hosted by The Low Income Housing Institute

                                                                                2010 South Jackson St.

                                                                                Seattle, WA 98144             

 

Saturday, September 7, 5:30 PM                     Sand Point and Brettler Family Place Apartments

                                                                                Hosted by Solid Ground   

                                                                                6940 62nd Avenue NE

                                                                                Seattle, WA 98115             

 

Sunday, September 8, 4:00 PM                        Greenbridge Plaza

                                                                                Hosted by The King County Housing Authority

                                                                                Jim Wiley Community Center 

                                                                                9800-8th Ave SW  (between 99th/98th)

                                                                                Seattle, WA 98106

 

Monday, September 9, 5:00 PM                      Canaday House, with guests from The Bart Harvey and

        The Williams Apartments

                                                                                Hosted by DESC, formerly Downtown Emergency Service Center

                                                                                424 Minor Avenue North @ Republican Street

                                                                                Seattle, WA 98109

 

Tuesday, September 10, 6:00 PM                    The Morrison

                                                                                Hosted by DESC, formerly Downtown Emergency Service Center

                                                                                509 Third Avenue @ James Street

                                                                                Seattle, WA 98104             

 

Wednesday, September 11, 6:00 PM              Sail River Heights

                                                                                Hosted by The Makah Tribe            

                                                                                181 Sail River Heights Drive

                                                                                Neah Bay, WA 98381

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Last week, LIHI's MLK AmeriCorps VISTA member Sarah Tapp and LIHI volunteer Tina Worthington attended the City of Seattle Tech Matching Fund Award ceremony to receive a $15,000 award for new community room computers for residents at six LIHI housing sites, and a new volunteer database.

  

The Technology Matching Fund is a grant from the City of Seattle allowing organizations like LIHI to address technology literacy gaps among low income communities. LIHI was able to access this important resource for the second time in two years. Last year thanks to the matching fund, LIHI brought on board an AmeriCorps VISTA from Solid Ground who developed our Computer Technology & Job Search Training Program (CT & JSTP).

  

Sarah has worked hard for the past twelve months to put the Technology Matching Fund to work for LIHI residents pairing them with volunteers to build computer skills, develop resumes, search for jobs, and find other ways to increase resident self-sufficiency.   

LIHI's VISTA Sarah Tapp Displays Grant Award with LIHI Volunteer Tina Worthington

During Sarah's year with LIHI, she expanded the CT & JS program and transformed it to better serve our residents' needs. She developed resident and volunteer resources and manuals, established a bi-monthly volunteer orientation, and developed tools to measure the growth and accomplishments of program participants. At the same time, her days with the MLK VISTA team widened Sarah's racial and social justice analytical skills and understanding of how large systems of inequality and oppression impact individuals each and every day. The infrastructure she built has set the stage for this program to continue and ensures that LIHI residents have access to increased resources on their path to self-sufficiency, including six new computers.

  

During Sarah's tenure, 34 LIHI volunteers donated 650 hours and helped 54 residents reach their computer technology and employment goals! LIHI is greatly appreciative of Sarah's exceptional service as our MLK AmeriCorps VISTA and of her commitment to providing our residents with opportunities to learn new skills and set new computer technology literacy and employment goals for themselves!

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