In 1941 the Compass Mission (that's one of our older names) purchased the building at 77-79 South Washington Street for $15,000.
The Compass Blog
Anthony Williams is a Program Coordinator who works at two of our affordable housing buildings, Dekko Place and the Karlstrom. He works with individuals and families in downtown Seattle and leads with his heart.
Our founder Otto Karlstrom believed strongly in the healing power of connecting with family and loved ones. Because of this, Compass has always been a place that people could send and receive mail. “Send Home” cards were just one of the many things the Compass Mission offered in its early days. This is a tradition … Continue reading The Healing Power of Connecting with Family
Over 100 years ago, Compass Housing Alliance was founded by Pastor Otto Karlstrom and his wife Alva. As we tell the stories and histories of Compass, we believe it’s important to start with the story of the Karlstrom family and their vision.
Ezekiel McShan has been with Compass as a Housing Navigator for the past 3.5 years. He believes in the impact that Compass has and the work that we do because “our numbers do not lie."
We are celebrating our 100 year anniversary with 100 Days of Celebration culminating with our virtual 100th Birthday Bash event on May 16th!
Black Coffee Northwest has been teaming up with our Ronald Commons affordable housing program over the past few months.
Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCS Northwest) and Compass Housing Alliance (Compass) have signed a definitive agreement for Compass to become an affiliate of LCS Northwest. The agreement was approved by the Board of Directors for both organizations and is effective Jan. 1. 2021.
Before I got to Compass, I was at a different shelter in the city. I never felt respected there, it was like I was just taking up space, stuck. I was depressed and hopeless and just waking up and falling asleep. It wasn’t until a former guest of Compass at First Presbyterian (CFP) talked to me about what Compass had done for them that things started to change.
Otto’s Place was named in honor of Pastor Otto Karlstrom who founded Compass in Pioneer Square 100 years ago. He had a vision to care for those in need, and we are still carrying that vision forward today.