David Bley and Harris Hoffman honored by
AIDS Housing of Washington
SHA Commissioners show commitment to
housing
SEATTLE—December 13, 2003—In accepting praise
from AIDS Housing of Washington recently, David Bley summed up his
achievements by saying, “ I simply believe that all of us, as
human beings, are hard-wired to help others.” While some might
challenge this, all were united on December 11 at an event honoring
both Bley and Harris Hoffman for their contributions to the cause of
affordable housing for people with AIDS. Christine Hurley, Executive
Director at Bailey-Boushay house was also an honoree.
Bley currently serves on the Board of Commissioners of the Seattle
Housing Authority. Hoffman served as a Commissioner for ten years,
and was also Chair of the Board.
At the event, held at SAFECO Field, AIDS Housing celebrated its
Fifteenth Anniversary. The non-profit was originally formed to build
and operate Bailey-Boushay House, a 35-bed skilled nursing facility
and adult day health program. According to staff, “We were
supposed to go out of business, but we realized that more people
living with HIV/AIDS needed help—especially those who were
homeless. So we continued on.”
AIDS Housing went on to develop the
Lyon
Building
in downtown
Seattle
to serve people living with AIDS in addition to chronic
homelessness, substance use, and mental health issues. Then in 1999,
AIDS Housing partnered with Seattle Housing Authority to build
Shirley Bridge Bungalows in
West Seattle
. Six units of independent housing are now homes for individuals and
families on this site.
Both Harris Hoffman and David Bley have been involved in housing
issues throughout their careers. Hoffman first began his involvement
with AHW in the mid-1980s when he was executive director of the Pike
Place Market. He began a 20-year housing collaboration with Betsy
Lieberman, AHW’s executive director, when they collaborated in
developing Heritage House, a senior assisted living facility in the
Pike Place Market that is part of the Seattle Senior Housing
Program. Hoffman has also served on the board of AHW and has
assisted them by providing office space at Lorig Associates where he
is a partner.
David Bley has worked as a friend of housing in the political arena,
beginning when he worked for U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott. He
developed the language for what became the Housing Opportunities for
People with AIDS Act of 1992. He also drafted the original version
of the federal McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. These federal
programs have provided billions of dollars of assistance nationwide
to increased the availability of affordable housing. Bley is
currently Executive Vice President at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle.
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