Open Doors for Multicultural Families (ODMF) is honored to celebrate the groundbreaking of Mercy Housing Northwest’s newest affordable and accessible housing community in Tacoma, 35th & Pacific, on January 15, 2026. As partners in advancing equity, inclusion, and stability for families with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), we are deeply grateful to Mercy Housing Northwest for their leadership in expanding access to safe, affordable, and culturally responsive housing.
The groundbreaking event marks an important milestone for the region. The new community will offer 80 affordable homes for individuals and families at 30%, 50%, and 60% of area median income, with half of the units designed as two‑ and three‑bedroom homes to support larger households and multigenerational families. The development will also include surface parking, a one‑story market space, and on‑site Resident Services and Property Management, ensuring families have the support they need to thrive.
We are especially proud that this project commits 25% of its homes, 20 units, to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This level of intentional set‑aside is rare in Washington, where people with IDD face some of the most significant housing barriers in the state. Many individuals with IDD rely on extremely low incomes, often limited to SSI, which typically covers only a fraction of market rent. Washington’s shortage of deeply affordable, accessible units means that thousands of adults with IDD remain on long waiting lists, live in unstable or overcrowded environments, or risk institutional placement simply because they cannot secure housing in the community. By dedicating a quarter of its units to this population, and pairing housing with culturally responsive supports, 35th & Pacific represents a meaningful step toward addressing a long‑standing and urgent statewide need.
For families across Tacoma, this development represents a meaningful step toward addressing the urgent need for affordable, accessible housing. With more than half of the apartments designed for families with children, 35th & Pacific will help ensure that households, especially those with the lowest incomes, have access to homes that are both affordable and large enough to meet their needs. All residents will have access to Mercy Housing Northwest’s family‑centered resident services at no cost.
Open Doors for Multicultural Families is proud to stand alongside the many partners who made this project possible, including the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority, Washington State Department of Ecology, Pierce County Department of Human Services, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, East Abes, and Safe Streets. We also extend our appreciation to the project’s funders, whose investment is helping bring this vision to life.
As our Economic Stability Associate Program Manager, Angela Weikel, shared: “We are honored to partner with Mercy Housing on this important work. Together, we’re helping ensure that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities not only access housing but have the support they need to thrive and remain stably housed. This partnership reflects what’s possible when organizations come together with a shared commitment to dignity, access, and community.”
At Open Doors for Multicultural Families, we are excited to deepen our presence in Pierce County and to continue building a community where immigrant, refugee, and multilingual individuals and families with disabilities, have the resources, stability, and opportunities they deserve. The 35th & Pacific development is a powerful example of what can be achieved when organizations unite around equity and inclusion, and we are grateful to Mercy Housing Northwest for their continued partnership and leadership.