cross walk construction

Residents Lend a Voice in Kent

In Kent, a group of mothers at Mercy Housing Northwest’s Appian Way property decided to take matters into their own hands. It all began with a partnership between MHNW and Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center (IPJC). IPJC trained MHNW staff to help create a Women’s Justice Circle, in which a group of residents and community members collaborate on a topic that they feel is important and needs change in the community. The justice circle at Appian Way was formed in the Spring of 2017 and started out with a group of six women. During their first few meetings, the group learned that their friend’s son was hit by a car while crossing a nearby street. This tragic circumstance inspired the women to take action and help make the community safer. Immediately, planning was underway to advocate for a crosswalk.

Women’s Justice Circle members meeting about the crosswalk

The members got to work crafting a letter which was presented to the City Traffic Engineer for the Public Works Department of Kent. The residents all advocated and contributed testimonials for the letter. They were put on a list of priority areas, but were told to wait as the search for funding begun. After over a year of waiting patiently, the group finally saw progress on construction of the crosswalk this January!

“We united to better our community and we focused on installing a crosswalk because we knew the difficulties that our neighbors were facing to cross the street. We feel very happy that there was someone who listened to us and supported us. Now we can safely cross the street to go to the doctor, pick up our medications and go to the store”, said Lucy, one of the resident members at Appian Way.

This project is an example of the true power of resident voices. We are so proud of our residents for making their voices heard so that their community is a safer place for all!

cross walk construction
Construction began on the crosswalk in January