Established in August 1940, the Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) serves over 5,100 households and approximately 11,317 people in Tacoma each month. THA’s mission is to provide high-quality, stable, and sustainable housing and supportive services to people in need. Just like Mercy Housing Northwest, partnerships are critically important to their mission.

In 2017, THA acquired the James Center North and developed a master plan, resulting in the creation of a mixed-income, mixed-use community called Aviva Crossing. Mercy Housing and Koz Development were selected as partner developers to help carry out THA’s vision.

Partnered-Developed Affordable Housing Project

Over the years, the Aviva Crossing concept has evolved into an entirely partner-developed project, with Mercy Housing first to break ground, resulting in over $10 million worth of work to prepare the site for housing. It has taken creativity, commitment, and significant collaboration to make Mercy Aviva Crossing and the subsequent Aviva developments possible.

THA will remain a landlord, investor, and, when requested, a resident services advisor to the Mercy Aviva Crossing project. THA has also committed Project-Based Vouchers to the building, a stable and ongoing subsidy that makes the project and its depth of affordability possible.

Across the wider Aviva Crossing site development, THA will continue to coordinate partnerships until the three phases of residential development are complete and a future for the open space parcel is secured.

Last year, THA and Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) created a local waitlist preference that prioritizes families of TPS students who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability for housing assistance. This partnership is expanding access to housing programs for vulnerable, low-income local households who face multiple barriers and experience the greatest marginalization in the community. This local waitlist preference ensures that students and their families who are engaged with the McKinney-Vento Office of TPS and are in dire need of stable and affordable housing can receive assistance when they need it most.