Casa De La Mora offers 73 units for low-income households, people with disabilities, and young adults exiting foster care; Project financing included $15.67 million in equity generated by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program that Cantwell has long-championed to increase the supply of affordable homes
YAKIMA, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, Yakima elected officials, and leaders from Catholic Charities for the grand opening of Casa De La Mora, a 73-unit affordable complex that will house people with disabilities, young adults exiting homelessness or foster care, and low-income households.
“This is changing lives,” Sen. Cantwell said. “It is the transformative element that might get somebody from just existing to thriving again.”
“Washington is standing out as a national leader in youth and youth-adult homelessness, and Casa de la Mora will be a brilliant example of that. From 2016 to 2023, Washington State saw 40 percent reduction in youth and youth-adult homelessness,” she continued.
“But despite these advancements, we’ve seen 14,000 young people remain unstably housed or homeless, which makes this development project so much more important. It’s going to show that real solutions exist in the community, and that those solutions not only help these young people, but they help our economy by creating a workforce and stability for them and their families.”
The event included a press conference, followed by a tour of the Casa De La Mora units and site. Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks are HERE; a transcript is HERE; and photos are HERE.
The $32 million project was financed in part using $15.67 million in equity generated from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). The LIHTC program is administered by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission (WSHFC) and provides federal tax credits to private developers and investors to build and fix up affordable rental housing for low-income residents.
Sen. Cantwell is the leading Senate advocate of the LIHTC program. She has introduced comprehensive bipartisan legislation, the Affordable Housing Credit Act, in 2025, 2023, and 2021, and seen many of the key elements of that legislation enacted into law. Since its creation, the Housing Credit has helped build or restore more than 3 million rental housing units nationwide, including more than 100,000 affordable homes in the State of Washington. The economic activity that the credit generated has supported nearly 170,000 jobs and generated more than $19 billion in wages.