Fred Safstrom has announced his retirement as CEO of Housing Hope, which owns and operates 541 affordable housing units at 23 locations throughout Snohomish County. Two more projects for families are planned for South Snohomish County — one next to Edmonds Lutheran Church in Edmonds and the other next to Cedar Valley Community School in Lynnwood.

Safstrom worked in both private and public entities for nearly 20 years and had just completed nine years on the Housing Hope board when he joined the staff.

In announcing Safstrom’s retirement, Housing Hope pointed to the nonprofit’s recent significant accomplishments under his leadership:

• Establishing Tomorrow’s Hope Child Development Center as one of only three centers in the State of Washington with a behavioral health license.
• Opening HopeWorks Station North, a LEED Platinum-certified, net-zero energy job training hub and residential community
• Reaching the 30th anniversary of operating the Team HomeBuilding sweat-equity homeownership program
• The completion of Twin Lakes Landing II (early 2023), Housing Hope’s first development constructed using passive house design principles, underscoring their strongly held value of ecological sustainability
• The surge toward the decade-long strategic objective of the board to extend their supportive housing program into South Snohomish County, beginning with the development adjacent to Edmonds Lutheran Church in 2023.
• The adoption of an ambitious Vision 2030 strategic plan that will guide Housing Hope and HopeWorks in serving the community in the years ahead

“It’s been inspiring to watch Fred serve as CEO during the past seven years as he has led Housing Hope and HopeWorks to continuing growth and impactful housing and workforce solutions for our community,” said longtime friend and former agency executive Ed Petersen. “His local roots and relationships, together with astute management and compassionate leadership, has resulted in an agency commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and environmental sustainability alongside housing and workforce programs. We applaud Fred for this comprehensive model that leaves a great foundation for the 2030 vision and strategic plan he helped the board adopt.”

Gifts in honor of Safstrom’s leadership legacy will go to the building fund for a new Tomorrow’s Hope Child Development Center at Donate | Housing Hope.