Solid Ground WA
Organization Details
Solid Ground works to end poverty and undo racism and other oppressions that are root causes of poverty. Our work primarily functions in five key areas: Housing – Safe, stable homes for individuals and families exiting homelessness. Stabilization – Upstream interventions that stabilize folks in crisis and prevent experiences of homelessness. Hunger & Food Resources – Nutrition, farm, and food justice education and access and the backbone for Seattle’s emergency food response system. Transportation – Paratransit access for folks living on low incomes for whom fixed-route transit is not an option. Advocacy – Community listening sessions, coalition-building, and advocacy for more just and equitable state and local policies and systems. Embedded in our mission is an Anti-Racism Initiative, which engages and supports staff, participants, and community members to learn and dismantle the policies and narratives that perpetuate poverty and racism in participants’ lives and our day-to-day work.
Impact Story
Founded as the Fremont Public Association in 1974 to deliver a few basic services for neighbors in need, Solid Ground’s work has grown alongside our community over the last 50 years and now reaches over 65,000 community members each year throughout Seattle/King County and across the state.
Our work includes more than 40 years at the forefront of housing and homelessness response, opening our Family Shelter in 1982 for unhoused families with children, and our Broadview Shelter for survivors of domestic violence the following year. Our Sand Point Housing campus broke ground in 1993 and now serves up to 450 people each year through a range of permanent, service-enriched housing models to meet the needs of single adults and families. We played key roles in creating community-driven programs now operating independently, such as Seattle’s curbside recycling, Seattle Workers Center, Low Income Housing Institute, and FamilyWorks Resource Center & Food Bank, pioneered our housing first Rapid Re-Housing program in 1997, and founded the Non-Profit Anti-Racism Coalition in 2001.
Today, we continue to adapt and innovate our programming in response to community-identified needs. During COVID-19, we delivered thousands of pounds of food and disbursed millions in emergency rental assistance through our partnership with United Way of King County. We piloted our Every Door Initiative in 2021 – delivering rapid referrals and direct assistance to folks living on low incomes and experiencing homelessness, developed in direct response to feedback from our community. Last year, we provided free, fresh produce from Solid Ground’s Giving Garden at Marra Farm to 1,300+ low-income patients managing chronic health conditions through an innovative partnership with Sea Mar’s South Park and White Center clinics. Our broad reach, strong infrastructure, and continual innovation position us as a principal leader in the fight against poverty, instability, and homelessness in Seattle/King County.