Chief Executive Officer

The Organizations

Housing Hope

Vision: Every individual aspiring to self-sufficiency should have access to a safe, secure, and affordable home.

Mission: Housing Hope shall promote and provide affordable housing and tailored services to reduce homelessness and poverty for residents of Snohomish County and Camano Island.

Housing Hope was founded in 1987 to meet the desperate community need for emergency shelter and subsequently developed into a full continuum of housing and supportive services. Housing Hope Properties was established in 1992 with the mission “To acquire, lease, rehabilitate, construct and otherwise provide decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing for the very-low and low-income families and individuals residing in Snohomish County and Camano Island.” HopeWorks, an affiliate of Housing Hope, was launched in January 2011 with the goal of helping individuals gain skills and training for in-demand jobs.

Housing Hope is a vibrant, growing, and dynamic organization offering a complete continuum of housing solutions and social support programs and is Snohomish County’s largest affordable housing developer. Housing Hope has completed 73 affordable housing developments located throughout Snohomish County and Camano Island. The agency owns and operates 541 residential units at 23 locations and has also managed the completion of 328 low-income owner-built homes. By providing affordable housing and a social services program, Housing Hope enables families to achieve self-sufficiency so they can break the generational cycle of poverty.

Housing Hope is adding to Snohomish County’s affordable housing inventory with an additional 60 units in Marysville, WA, slated to open in 2023. Thirty units are for families coming directly from homelessness and the other 30 are for families with low incomes. Several other exciting projects are in the agency’s housing development pipeline with an ambitious goal of adding 1,000 units by 2030.

Families grow in self-sufficiency by focusing on four overarching goals:

• Maintain permanent housing Increase household earned income Improve life skills Expand parenting knowledge and skills to help their children thrive

HopeWorks

Mission: Creating pathways to self-sufficiency through social enterprises that provide hope, empowerment, education, and job training.

Founded in 2011, HopeWorks Social Enterprises is a 501 c 3 subsidiary of Housing Hope that helps low-income Snohomish County residents achieve self-sufficiency by providing training and pathways to living-wage jobs. HopeWorks launched its first social enterprise business, GroundWorks Landscaping, in 2011. Renew Home and Decor followed in 2013, CafeWorks, a youth barista training program and a collaboration with Cocoon House, began in 2015 and is now part of Kindred Kitchen.

A third major area of focus along with housing and jobs, Tomorrow’s Hope Child Development Center is a collaboration between Housing Hope and HopeWorks currently serving 121 children with plans underway to create a new facility to double capacity.  In addition, the organization holds a behavioral health license to give special attention to helping children overcome the traumas of homelessness and extreme poverty. Housed under the HopeWorks banner since 2021, Tomorrow’s Hope is another option for those who wish to pursue training in the in-demand early childhood education field.

Additional fields of employment are currently under consideration and include construction, property management, administration, and IT.

HopeWorks’s unique employment training model is designed specifically for homeless and at-risk very low-income adults and youth who are unemployed or underemployed. These individuals desire a career pathway opportunity that can lift them and their family out of poverty.

HopeWorks provides the education, job training, and support in a healthily structured but “real world” environment that helps change the attitude and outlook for participants. This model uses a holistic approach to help individuals build sustainable careers through interpersonal self-growth, pre-employment education, computer skills development, and hands-on job training in in-demand fields. Each of HopeWorks’ social enterprise programs is grounded in the principals of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Position/Your Role

The CEO reports to and works collaboratively with the Board of Directors to lead Housing Hope and its subsidiaries, including Housing Hope Properties and HopeWorks Social Enterprises, (Agency) as an integrated organization that realizes its strategic long-term vision.  Specifically, the CEO will ensure that the Agency’s fiscal, operational, fundraising, marketing, human resources, technology, and programmatic strategies are effectively implemented across all segments of the organization.  The position’s current direct reports are the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Housing Officer, the Housing Hope Chief Operating Officer, and the HopeWorks Chief Operating Officer.  The Strategic Projects Manager and an Executive Assistant also assist and report to the CEO.

The CEO’s attentions are primarily focused on pursuing longer term strategic initiatives, cultivating external stakeholder relationships and strengthening the financial capability of the agency.  Additionally, the CEO significantly influences the operating tone and culture for the agency.  The position is accountable for an organization with a combined annual operating budget of $15 million, a staff of 170 people and two Boards of Directors (Housing Hope, HopeWorks).

Leadership Abilities

Candidates will be evaluated on the full range of their lived and learned experience, professional background, volunteer experience, and direct and transferable skills. The Agency is seeking candidates with a compelling combination of demonstrated experience and skills in some, or all, of the following areas:

• Mid-career or more overall professional experience with successful Executive Director or CEO experience strongly preferred. Experience serving as a CEO, Executive Director, Deputy Director, COO, CAO, CFO, or similar role(s), or as a senior staff member of an organization, division, or department of comparable size. Prior experience in affordable housing finance and development is strongly preferred. Broad understanding of all aspects of running non-profit organizations (board development, finances, operations, information technology, human resources, real estate development, and facilities management). Exposure to social sector or nonprofit services, business operations, public sector operations, housing development, homeless services, economic mobility, or human services – which may come from board, volunteer, or staff service – is required for success in this role.