Trail Blazers Owner Pledges $30 Million To House Seattle’s Homeless

Microsoft co-founder and owner of the Portland Trail Blazers (and Seattle Seahawks) Paul Allen has pledged $30 million to help house the homeless families of Seattle, Robert Mclean of CNN reported Wednesday night. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation will contribute $30 million for the development of a large facility for homeless families with children, while the city of Seattle provides $5 million for its maintenance and operation. The facility will then be owned and operated by Mercy Housing Northwest.

Full operating costs, however, will not be covered by the donation, Vernal Coleman of The Seattle Times reports:

Operating costs would not be covered by the donation. Mercy Housing will seek public and private funding to help defray the cost of running the facility, Rumpf said. Residents of permanent housing such as this generally pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent.

This endeavor is still very much in the planning stages, as a location for the facility has yet to be determined, though it should eventually make a marked, positive impact in the Seattle community.

Per Mclean:

Seattle is in King County, which has 1,684 families that are homeless, according to the mayor's announcement. More than 3,000 homeless children were enrolled in Seattle's public schools during the 2015-2016 year, it said.

Putting a roof over those heads starts here. You can learn more about Paul G. Allen Family Foundation by visiting their website.