“I feel rich.”

Pete and Pam were born and raised in Burien. They raised their four children in a house that Pam’s father built, and Pete added to over their 35 years of living there together. It was a stable, comfortable life – until cancer hit Pam hard. 

Pam owned a small hairdressing business, spending decades exposed to chemicals that her doctor said likely led to her kidney cancer. Not only did her illness force her to suddenly close her business, but Pam was underinsured.

Her health insurance, while expensive, was not good enough to cover even a small portion of the costs of her cancer treatment and the subsequent removal of her kidney and ureter.

“The family home, we lost everything. We couldn’t sustain the house payments; the health insurance was paying $5 here and there. We let the house go and moved to a small rental but within a few years, the rent started shooting up. We were forced out when we received a rent increase of $700 with one month of notice,” Pete shared.

Pete and Pam found themselves doing something they never thought they’d have to do. They applied for housing at Angle Lake Court, Compass’s affordable apartment building for independent seniors located in SeaTac. They narrowly avoided homelessness when their application was approved.

Pete and Pam may not have ever intended to live someplace like Angle Lake Court, but now they call it a blessing. “The only thing that was a blessing to me during that early time of transition was the sun coming through the window,” Pam said through tears. “Because it was hard, I’d never been poor. We’d always had a beautiful home in a humble but nice neighborhood. It was hard, really, really hard. But now, I love it here. I have so many friends who pray for us.”

Pam continued, “People who live in affordable housing are considered low caste in our culture. People assume that they’re probably on drugs, unstable, or doing something wrong with their life. That is the perception. But so many people here have the same story as us. Some medical or some life crises hit, and they lost everything. Most of our neighbors at Angle Lake owned homes in the past. It’s remarkable how we are all the same, we are in the same boat. That surprised me at first.”

In September last year, Pete was diagnosed with cancer. At the same time, they found out that Pam’s cancer was back. Their diverse group of friends at Angle Lake are showing up for them. “They’re my family, I love them. My girlfriend who has MS and is in a wheelchair comes and gets our laundry. She does our laundry for us,” Pam said. “The transformation here has been really remarkable,” Peter added, “the change is in us.“

“This community feels normal. When you get ill, normal is the best thing in the world. Normal is incredible. To not have to overpay for housing should be normal. It sets your heart and mind free in a way. That sense of normal is what Angle Lake has provided me,” said Pete.

Today, more than 2,000 seniors, Veterans, families, and disabled adults have found a home at Compass where they can feel more normal just like Pete and Pam. This holiday season, will you help Compass bring normal to more of our neighbors? Like everywhere else, Compass is feeling the pinch of rising insurance, repair, and maintenance costs. Your gift will make sure places like Angle Lake Court stay open for years to come.

Sincerely,

Michael Bailey
President