The short version

Claim we investigated

New supportive housing planned in Seattle costs about $500,000 per apartment, including land and financing.

True. The median estimate for four Seattle supportive housing buildings seeking state money since 2023 is $503,000 per apartment. State applications put the four Seattle buildings, all supportive housing, that sought state money since 2023 at $402,000 to $524,000 per apartment, with land and financing. That is about a typical new apartment's cost, and 1.5 times what King County has paid so far per unit for existing buildings.

Quote or cite this fact-check
FactHub rates the claim “New supportive housing planned in Seattle costs about $500,000 per apartment, including land and financing” True (moderate confidence): The median estimate for four Seattle supportive housing buildings seeking state money since 2023 is $503,000 per apartment. Reviewed November 11, 2026. https://facthub.org/n/article/seattle-supportive-housing-cost-per-apartment/8

Key points

What the evidence establishes

  • Established. Seattle's four new buildings planned in 2023-2025 where every apartment is supportive housing have a median estimated cost of $503,000 per apartment, counting land, fees and financing.
  • Established. Three of the four are estimated at $495,000 to $524,000 per apartment; the fourth, the Downtown Emergency Service Center's (DESC) Lake City building, at $402,000.
  • Established. Costs have risen: plans from 2021-2022 had a median of $391,000, and one building's estimate rose 38% between its 2021 and 2023 applications.
  • Context. For comparison, King County paid a median $331,000 per unit, so far, to buy and repair six existing Seattle buildings; some still need repairs.
  • Context. Building any apartment in Seattle is costly: a 2023 estimate put a typical new apartment, about 700 square feet per unit counting all its space, at nearly $490,000.
  • Established. Five finished Seattle supportive housing buildings, planned earlier, cost a median $357,000 per apartment in their final reports.
Important context: Cost per apartment here is the total cost to develop a building, including land, construction, design and legal fees, financing and reserves, divided by its apartments. The state Housing Trust Fund defines this figure to include land, and its 2023 application list confirms it. The 2024 and 2025 lists use the same term but give no separate total to check it against. The newest figures are estimates the nonprofit developers gave when they applied for state money, and final costs can differ. This is a one-time cost, not the yearly cost to run the building, and not a cost per person, since an apartment houses residents for decades.

The evidence

The conclusion rests on the combined record. Expand each item to see its role and limitations.

Independence note: This check uses 6 methods across 6 institutions and 1 country or international grouping.
Evidence map
Method Institution / country Year(s) What it shows Key limitation Primary links
We read the Washington State Department of Commerce's lists of applications to its Housing Trust Fund for 2021 through 2025. Each lists the project's city, its supportive housing units and its total residential development cost (called anticipated cost from 2024). We kept every Seattle new-construction project in which all apartments are supportive housing, divided cost by apartments, and used the later application when a project applied twice. The 2025 list gives no project type, so Plymouth Housing's Whittier building is included as a new building plan without that check. In the 2021-2023 lists, which also give total development cost, the two figures match for every building that is all housing, including ones that bought land, and differ only for buildings with shops or offices; so the residential figure includes land there. The 2024 and 2025 lists give only the residential figure, so we could not check it the same way. Washington State Department of Commerce United States 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Four Seattle buildings applied in 2023-2025: DESC Woodland ($524,000 per apartment, 95 apartments), Plymouth Housing's Whittier building ($512,000, 90), DESC Belmont ($495,000, 120) and DESC Lake City ($402,000, 120). Their median is $503,000. The two Seattle plans from 2021-2022, DESC Greenlake ($381,000) and DESC 15th Avenue ($400,000), had a median of $391,000. The Seattle Office of Housing lists DESC Belmont and DESC Lake City as new construction of permanent supportive housing. DESC Woodland's estimate rose from $379,000 per apartment in its 2021 application to $524,000 in 2023, up 38%, as the building shrank from 100 to 95 apartments. These are dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. These are the developers' estimates when they applied, not final costs, in dollars not adjusted for inflation. Only buildings that applied to the state fund appear, and four buildings is a small sample; three of the four are by one developer, DESC, so the median mostly reflects its designs and costs. The 2024 and 2025 lists give one figure, so we could not confirm land is in it the way the 2023 list shows, though the fund's own definition includes land. FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County Washington State Department of Commerce Seattle Office of Housing Washington State Department of Commerce Washington State Department of Commerce Washington State Department of Commerce Washington State Department of Commerce Washington State Department of Commerce
We read Commerce's 2022 and 2023 affordable housing cost data reports, which list the final cost per unit and per square foot of each finished state-funded building. We kept the Seattle buildings serving homeless people. Washington State Department of Commerce United States 2022, 2023 Five finished Seattle supportive housing buildings cost a median $357,000 per apartment, from $302,000 (DESC Bitter Lake) to $584,000 (DESC's Hobson Place). The state's reports count the residential part of each building, including land, shared space, financing and reserves. These buildings were mostly planned and priced before the cost increases of 2023 and 2024 that the Seattle Office of Housing describes. Commerce says only 26% of state-funded awardees had turned in final cost certifications by July 2023, so the reports cover only some finished buildings. Commerce also warns the sample is too small to draw meaningful generalizations. FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County Washington State Department of Commerce Washington State Department of Commerce Seattle Office of Housing
We used a draft memo by BAE Urban Economics for Portland's housing bureau, which priced one generic six-story apartment building, based on recent building trends, in Portland, Seattle and other cities from developer and contractor interviews in spring 2023. BAE Urban Economics, Portland Housing Bureau United States 2023, 2024 The memo put the six-story, 143-unit building in Seattle at nearly $490,000 per unit. Like the state's figures, that counts land, fees, financing and a developer fee; the memo doesn't mention reserves. It also includes an underground garage with 72 parking spaces. Seattle's newest supportive housing plans, at a median $503,000, cost about the same per apartment. The priced building has nearly 100,000 square feet for its 143 units, about 700 square feet per unit counting all its space. Supportive housing apartments are usually small: DESC's Hobson Place, for example, is all studios. So new supportive housing costs about what a typical, larger new apartment does. It is one consultant's draft estimate for one generic building design, not a survey of buildings. It is from 2023, while some supportive housing estimates are from 2024 and 2025, and we confirmed the apartment type for only one supportive housing building. BAE Urban Economics for the Portland Housing Bureau Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County
We read King County's 2024 Health Through Housing report, which lists the purchase and repair cost per unit for each building the county bought for its housing program, with each building's city and status. King County Department of Community and Human Services United States 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 The county paid a median $331,000 per unit, purchase plus repairs to date, for six Seattle buildings, and $296,000 across all 11 buildings it bought. Its own average capital cost was $286,000 per unit. The Seattle median is about a third below the $503,000 median for new Seattle supportive housing, though some of those buildings still need repairs. The county now plans to fund services in buildings nonprofits own rather than buy more buildings. Five bought buildings were not open at the end of 2024, so their repair costs are not final. Some are emergency housing rather than permanent supportive housing. FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County King County Department of Community and Human Services
From Commerce's 2023 application list we took every Seattle new-construction affordable building with no supportive housing units and divided cost by apartments, the same way as for supportive housing. Washington State Department of Commerce United States 2023 Fifteen such buildings had a median estimated cost of $576,000 per apartment, from $350,000 to $846,000. That is more per apartment than the two supportive housing buildings that applied the same year: DESC Lake City ($402,000) and DESC Woodland ($524,000). Many of these buildings are meant for families, and family apartments are usually larger than supportive housing apartments. We did not check each building's apartment sizes, so the difference can't be split into size and other causes, and the supportive housing side is two buildings. FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County
We read the Seattle Office of Housing's 2024 report and its wage policy, and a 2020 City Council release on supportive housing costs. Seattle Office of Housing, Seattle City Council United States 2020, 2024 The Office of Housing says rising construction costs, inflation, higher interest rates and record operating costs opened funding gaps in 2023 and 2024. Its policy requires at least state residential prevailing wages, a state-set minimum pay scale for construction workers, on projects it funds, with some exceptions. In 2020 a councilmember's release cited a coalition's estimate that legislation exempting supportive housing from design review, bike storage and other rules could cut its cost from about $332,000 to $284,000 per apartment. None of these sources measures how much each factor adds. The 2020 figures are the Third Door Coalition's estimates, a group of service providers and business owners, relayed by a councilmember's office. Seattle Office of Housing Seattle Office of Housing Seattle City Council
1. State funding applications for new Seattle supportive housing, 2021-2025 We read the Washington State Department of Commerce's lists of applications to its Housing Trust Fund for 2021 through 2025. Each lists the project's city, its supportive housing units and its total residential development cost (called anticipated cost from 2024). We kept every Seattle new-construction project in which all apartments are supportive housing, divided cost by apartments, and used the later application when a project applied twice. The 2025 list gives no project type, so Plymouth Housing's Whittier building is included as a new building plan without that check. In the 2021-2023 lists, which also give total development cost, the two figures match for every building that is all housing, including ones that bought land, and differ only for buildings with shops or offices; so the residential figure includes land there. The 2024 and 2025 lists give only the residential figure, so we could not check it the same way.

Four Seattle buildings applied in 2023-2025: DESC Woodland ($524,000 per apartment, 95 apartments), Plymouth Housing's Whittier building ($512,000, 90), DESC Belmont ($495,000, 120) and DESC Lake City ($402,000, 120). Their median is $503,000. The two Seattle plans from 2021-2022, DESC Greenlake ($381,000) and DESC 15th Avenue ($400,000), had a median of $391,000.

The Seattle Office of Housing lists DESC Belmont and DESC Lake City as new construction of permanent supportive housing. DESC Woodland's estimate rose from $379,000 per apartment in its 2021 application to $524,000 in 2023, up 38%, as the building shrank from 100 to 95 apartments. These are dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation.

Limit: These are the developers' estimates when they applied, not final costs, in dollars not adjusted for inflation. Only buildings that applied to the state fund appear, and four buildings is a small sample; three of the four are by one developer, DESC, so the median mostly reflects its designs and costs. The 2024 and 2025 lists give one figure, so we could not confirm land is in it the way the 2023 list shows, though the fund's own definition includes land.

Verify: Estimated cost per apartment of new Seattle supportive housing buildings DESC Woodland estimate in 2021 and 2023 2024 Traditional Housing Trust Fund Applications Received, NOFA #MHU-2024-02 2024 Annual Investments and Housing Levy Report 2023 Traditional Housing Trust Fund applications 2025 Traditional Funding Round Applications Received List (NOFA #MHU-2025-01) 2022 Housing Trust Fund applications 2021 Housing Trust Fund and Cottage applications 2023 Annual Affordable Housing Cost Data Report

New Seattle supportive housing now costs about $500,000 per apartmentEstimated total cost per apartment of new Seattle buildings where every apartment is supportive housing for formerly homeless people, by the year each applied for state money, against a typical new apartment building and the existing Seattle buildings King County bought.New Seattle supportive housing now costs about $500,000 per apartmentEstimated total cost per apartment, by year the building applied for state moneyfacthub.org/n/chart/seattle-supportive-housing-cost-per-apartmentSource: WA Commerce, King County, BAE2023.Note: Costs are the sponsors' estimates when they applied to the state Housing Trust Fund, not final costs; DESC Woodland's estimate rose 38% between 2021 andDESC Woodland (2023)$524,476Plymouth Whittier (2025)$511,719DESC Belmont (2024)$494,537Typical new apartment (2023 est.)$490,000DESC Lake City (2023)$401,611DESC 15th Avenue (2022)$400,410DESC Greenlake (2021)$380,714Existing buildings bought (median)$330,888
New Seattle supportive housing now costs about $500,000 per apartmentEstimated total cost per apartment of new Seattle buildings where every apartment is supportive housing for formerly homeless people, by the year each applied for state money, against a typical new apartment building and the existing Seattle buildings King County bought.New Seattle supportive housingnow costs about $500,000 perapartmentEstimated total cost per apartment, by year the buildingapplied for state moneySource: WA Commerce, King County, BAEDESC Woodland (2023)$524,476Plymouth Whittier (2025)$511,719DESC Belmont (2024)$494,537Typical new apartment(2023 est.)$490,000DESC Lake City (2023)$401,611DESC 15th Avenue (2022)$400,410DESC Greenlake (2021)$380,714Existing buildingsbought (median)$330,888
Estimated cost per apartment of new Seattle buildings where every apartment is supportive housing, by the year each applied for state money. Highlighted: 2023-2025 plans. Rows outlined: a 2023 estimate for a typical new apartment building and the median King County paid per unit for existing Seattle buildings. View source chart
2. Final costs of finished Seattle supportive housing We read Commerce's 2022 and 2023 affordable housing cost data reports, which list the final cost per unit and per square foot of each finished state-funded building. We kept the Seattle buildings serving homeless people.

Five finished Seattle supportive housing buildings cost a median $357,000 per apartment, from $302,000 (DESC Bitter Lake) to $584,000 (DESC's Hobson Place). The state's reports count the residential part of each building, including land, shared space, financing and reserves.

These buildings were mostly planned and priced before the cost increases of 2023 and 2024 that the Seattle Office of Housing describes.

Limit: Commerce says only 26% of state-funded awardees had turned in final cost certifications by July 2023, so the reports cover only some finished buildings. Commerce also warns the sample is too small to draw meaningful generalizations.

Verify: Final cost per apartment of finished Seattle supportive housing 2022 Housing Trust Fund Affordable Housing Cost Data Report 2023 Annual Affordable Housing Cost Data Report 2024 Annual Investments and Housing Levy Report

3. What a typical new apartment costs to build in Seattle We used a draft memo by BAE Urban Economics for Portland's housing bureau, which priced one generic six-story apartment building, based on recent building trends, in Portland, Seattle and other cities from developer and contractor interviews in spring 2023.

The memo put the six-story, 143-unit building in Seattle at nearly $490,000 per unit. Like the state's figures, that counts land, fees, financing and a developer fee; the memo doesn't mention reserves. It also includes an underground garage with 72 parking spaces. Seattle's newest supportive housing plans, at a median $503,000, cost about the same per apartment.

The priced building has nearly 100,000 square feet for its 143 units, about 700 square feet per unit counting all its space. Supportive housing apartments are usually small: DESC's Hobson Place, for example, is all studios. So new supportive housing costs about what a typical, larger new apartment does.

Limit: It is one consultant's draft estimate for one generic building design, not a survey of buildings. It is from 2023, while some supportive housing estimates are from 2024 and 2025, and we confirmed the apartment type for only one supportive housing building.

Verify: Residential Development Cost Study Summary, draft memorandum (January 30, 2024) Hobson Place 2 & The Clinic at Hobson Place Cost per apartment compared with other options

4. What King County paid to buy existing buildings We read King County's 2024 Health Through Housing report, which lists the purchase and repair cost per unit for each building the county bought for its housing program, with each building's city and status.

The county paid a median $331,000 per unit, purchase plus repairs to date, for six Seattle buildings, and $296,000 across all 11 buildings it bought. Its own average capital cost was $286,000 per unit.

The Seattle median is about a third below the $503,000 median for new Seattle supportive housing, though some of those buildings still need repairs. The county now plans to fund services in buildings nonprofits own rather than buy more buildings.

Limit: Five bought buildings were not open at the end of 2024, so their repair costs are not final. Some are emergency housing rather than permanent supportive housing.

Verify: King County Health Through Housing: cost per unit of buildings bought 2024 Health Through Housing Annual Report (Attachment A to Motion 16910)

5. Other new affordable housing in Seattle From Commerce's 2023 application list we took every Seattle new-construction affordable building with no supportive housing units and divided cost by apartments, the same way as for supportive housing.

Fifteen such buildings had a median estimated cost of $576,000 per apartment, from $350,000 to $846,000. That is more per apartment than the two supportive housing buildings that applied the same year: DESC Lake City ($402,000) and DESC Woodland ($524,000).

Many of these buildings are meant for families, and family apartments are usually larger than supportive housing apartments.

Limit: We did not check each building's apartment sizes, so the difference can't be split into size and other causes, and the supportive housing side is two buildings.

Verify: Cost per apartment compared with other options

6. Why building costs so much We read the Seattle Office of Housing's 2024 report and its wage policy, and a 2020 City Council release on supportive housing costs.

The Office of Housing says rising construction costs, inflation, higher interest rates and record operating costs opened funding gaps in 2023 and 2024. Its policy requires at least state residential prevailing wages, a state-set minimum pay scale for construction workers, on projects it funds, with some exceptions.

In 2020 a councilmember's release cited a coalition's estimate that legislation exempting supportive housing from design review, bike storage and other rules could cut its cost from about $332,000 to $284,000 per apartment.

Limit: None of these sources measures how much each factor adds. The 2020 figures are the Third Door Coalition's estimates, a group of service providers and business owners, relayed by a councilmember's office.

Verify: 2024 Annual Investments and Housing Levy Report Residential Prevailing Wage Rate Policy (June 2024) Councilmember Lewis Announces Proposal to Lower Costs and Fast Track Construction of Permanent Supportive Housing (November 30, 2020)

Common questions 12

“In Seattle, supportive housing costs more per apartment than other new affordable housing.”

Short answer: No, other affordable housing costs more

Seattle's other new affordable buildings cost more per apartment: a median $576,000 in 2023 applications for state housing money. The two supportive housing buildings that applied that year came in at $402,000 and $524,000. Many of those other buildings are for families, with larger apartments. Supportive housing is not the priciest subsidized housing per apartment; all of it is expensive.

See the evidence: Other new affordable housing in Seattle

“All new apartments in Seattle cost this much.”

Short answer: About, but they're bigger

A 2023 consultant estimate put a typical new six-story Seattle apartment building at nearly $490,000 per unit, about $700 per square foot of its space. New supportive housing's median is $503,000 per apartment, though its apartments are usually smaller; DESC's Hobson Place is all studios. The state applications don't give floor area, so we can't compare the newest plans per square foot.

See the evidence: What a typical new apartment costs to build in Seattle

“Supportive housing costs more because it includes space for services and staff.”

Short answer: Included, but not split out

The state's figures cover the whole residential part of each building, including common areas. None of our sources says how much of the cost goes to service and staff space, so we can't split it out. That space is part of what each new building's cost pays for.

See the evidence: Final costs of finished Seattle supportive housing

“Finished supportive housing buildings cost much less than $500,000 an apartment.”

Short answer: Older ones, yes

Five finished Seattle buildings cost a median $357,000 per apartment in the state's 2022 and 2023 cost reports. They were planned before the cost increases the city describes for 2023 and 2024. One of them, DESC's Hobson Place, cost $584,000. The $500,000 figure describes buildings planned now, not those already open.

See the evidence: Final costs of finished Seattle supportive housing

“The newest figures are only estimates.”

Short answer: Yes, and they can rise

Yes. They are the developers' estimates in state funding applications, in dollars not adjusted for inflation. They can change: DESC Woodland's estimate rose from $379,000 per apartment in 2021 to $524,000 in 2023. DESC's Clover Place, a 95-studio building in the Woodland neighborhood that matches it, was finished in late 2025 and opened in early 2026. No final cost has been published; final costs appear in the state's cost reports after buildings finish.

See the evidence: State funding applications for new Seattle supportive housing, 2021-2025

“The rise from about $391,000 to $503,000 is just inflation.”

Short answer: Only partly, by one measure

Not by the one federal index we found for apartment building costs. Averaged over the years each group of plans was filed, its prices for materials and services used in apartment construction were about 4% higher for the 2023-2025 plans than for the 2021-2022 plans, and from 2021 to 2025 they rose 13%. Over the same spans the median estimate rose 29%, and DESC Woodland's estimate rose 38% from 2021 to 2023 while the index rose 9%. The index leaves out labor and interest costs, which also rose, and it is national, so it doesn't settle how much of the rise is inflation.

See the evidence: State funding applications for new Seattle supportive housing, 2021-2025

“Supportive housing outside these four buildings might cost less.”

Short answer: Not the ones we could check

Seattle buildings in the same 2023 state lists where only some apartments are supportive housing cost more per apartment: a median of about $553,000, from $398,000 to $717,000. Their costs can't be split by apartment type, and many apartments in them are for families. We found no total costs for supportive housing funded only by the City or County; the City reports only its own share. The cheaper option we found is buying existing buildings.

“Buying existing buildings is cheaper than building new.”

Short answer: About a third cheaper so far

King County paid a median $331,000 per unit to buy and repair six Seattle buildings, about a third below new construction. Some still need repairs, so that figure will rise, and some are emergency housing rather than permanent apartments. The county says it will now fund services in nonprofit-owned buildings instead of buying more.

See the evidence: What King County paid to buy existing buildings

“Taxpayers pay the whole $500,000.”

Short answer: Partly; the full split isn't listed

Each of the four asked the state fund for $10 million to $13.5 million, 22% to 28% of its estimated cost. The City awarded DESC Belmont $13.2 million and DESC Lake City $16.2 million, so their state requests and City awards together equal 45% and 61% of their costs. The 2023 list marks Lake City and Woodland as using federal 9% housing tax credits, which investors buy; the lists don't show each building's other sources, such as County money and loans.

“Building with factory-made modules would make supportive housing much cheaper.”

Short answer: Not shown in Seattle

We found no Seattle cost data for supportive housing built from factory-made modules. San Francisco's modular supportive housing building, Tahanan, aimed for under $400,000 per apartment but cost about $468,000 including land, by the city's 2021 count. That is one building in a costlier city, so it neither proves nor rules out savings here.

“The $500,000 covers the cost of housing someone.”

Short answer: No, running it costs more

No. It is a one-time building cost. Running the housing and its services costs more every year: King County's program spent an average of $34,000 per unit in 2024. And it is a cost per apartment, not per person, since an apartment houses residents for decades.

See the evidence: What King County paid to buy existing buildings

“Why does it cost so much?”

Short answer: Costs, rates and rules

The Seattle Office of Housing blames rising construction costs, inflation, higher interest rates and record operating costs. It requires at least state residential prevailing wages on projects it funds, with some exceptions. A 2020 council release cited a coalition's estimate that easing design review and other rules could save about $48,000 per apartment; that is a projected saving, not a measured cost. Layered financing from tax credits and several public funders may add legal and fee costs; none of our sources measures it.

See the evidence: Why building costs so much

Conclusion

The state's own records answer the narrow question. The four Seattle buildings planned since 2023 where every apartment is supportive housing have a median estimated total cost of $503,000 per apartment, counting land and financing, as the state fund defines it. Three are near or above $500,000, and one, DESC Lake City, is near $400,000. Plans from 2021 and 2022 were about $391,000, and buildings finished earlier cost a median $357,000, so the $500,000 figure describes what new buildings cost now, not what the city's existing supportive housing cost.

We rate the claim True with moderate confidence. The newest figures are developers' estimates, the sample is four buildings, three of them by one developer, DESC, and only buildings that asked the state for money appear. Estimates can change in either direction; the one building with two applications rose 38%. The figures are in each year's dollars, and we did not measure how much of the rise general construction inflation explains.

The comparisons matter for anyone asking what tax money buys. A new supportive housing apartment costs about as much as a typical new apartment in a 2023 estimate, though it is usually smaller. Buying and repairing existing buildings cost King County about a third less per unit so far, though several are still being repaired and the county has stopped buying more. Seattle's other new affordable housing, much of it for families, costs even more per apartment.

The records do not show why each building costs what it does. The city points to construction costs, interest rates and inflation; its wage rules, design review and on-site service space add costs no source we found has measured. Building costs are also only part of the bill: King County's program spent about $34,000 per unit in 2024 to run its buildings.

How we checked
  1. We defined the claim as whether new buildings planned in Seattle, in which every apartment is permanent supportive housing, cost about $500,000 per apartment in total development cost.
  2. We downloaded the Washington State Department of Commerce's Housing Trust Fund application lists for 2021 to 2025 and its 2022 and 2023 cost data reports, extracted their tables, and checked the 2024 rows against the printed pages. In the lists that give both residential and total development cost, the two match for every all-housing building, including ones that bought land, so the residential figure includes land.
  3. We checked the three DESC buildings' apartment counts against the Seattle Office of Housing's 2024 report, and looked for newer estimates or final costs in Commerce's 2026 application list, its cost reports and the City's 2025 project status table; none had been published.
  4. No second record gives these buildings' total costs: the City's reports show only its own share. So the cost figures rest on the state's application lists, which we rechecked against the printed pages.
  5. To see how much of the rise general building costs explain, we compared it with the federal producer price index for inputs to multifamily residential construction, using annual averages.
  6. We kept Seattle new-construction applications in which all apartments are supportive housing, divided total residential development cost by apartments, and took the median of the 2023-2025 applications; for a project that applied twice we used the later estimate.
  7. For comparison we used the final costs of finished Seattle supportive housing, King County's per-unit purchase and repair costs from its 2024 Health Through Housing report, Seattle affordable buildings without supportive housing in the 2023 applications, and a 2023 consultant estimate for a typical new apartment building.
  8. We read the Seattle Office of Housing's reports and wage policy and a 2020 City Council release for explanations of the costs.
  9. We recorded limits: estimates versus final costs, the small sample, differences in apartment size, and county repair costs that are not final.
  10. Every figure and calculation is in the linked dataset, with the script that computes it.

Editorial note: This check covers the total development cost per apartment of new Seattle buildings in which every apartment is permanent supportive housing, as estimated in state Housing Trust Fund applications from 2021 to 2025, with final costs for finished buildings and King County's purchases for comparison. It does not judge whether the housing works for residents or whether other uses of the money would do more. No external specialist review has been recorded.

Expert-review status

No external specialist review has been recorded.

Funding and conflicts

Funding: No external funding for this piece.

Ownership: Published by the FactHub Research Team.

Conflicts: None known.

Sources 22

Sources are labeled by kind, with what this fact check takes from each, so readers can check the evidence independently.

  1. FactHub record FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County. Estimated cost per apartment of new Seattle supportive housing buildings

    Saved analysis of Seattle new-construction applications to the state Housing Trust Fund, 2021-2025, where every apartment is supportive housing.

    • The four Seattle buildings planned in 2023-2025 have a median estimated cost of $503,128 per apartment: DESC Woodland $524,476, Plymouth Whittier $511,719, DESC Belmont $494,537, DESC Lake City $401,611.

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The two Seattle plans from 2021-2022 had a median of $390,562: DESC 15th Avenue $400,410 and DESC Greenlake $380,714.

      Not yet checked

  2. FactHub record FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County. DESC Woodland estimate in 2021 and 2023

    Saved analysis comparing one building's two applications.

    • DESC Woodland's estimate rose from $379,212 per apartment (100 apartments, 2021) to $524,476 (95 apartments, 2023), up 38%.

      Not yet checked

  3. FactHub record FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County. Final cost per apartment of finished Seattle supportive housing

    Saved analysis of Seattle buildings serving homeless people in the state's 2022 and 2023 cost reports.

    • Qualifies: Five finished Seattle supportive housing buildings cost a median $356,813 per apartment, from $301,744 (DESC Bitter Lake) to $583,520 (Hobson Place), and $511 to $778 per square foot of residential space.

      Not yet checked

  4. FactHub record FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County. King County Health Through Housing: cost per unit of buildings bought

    Saved analysis of purchase plus repair cost per unit for each building King County bought.

    • King County paid a median $330,888 per unit, purchase plus repairs to date, for six Seattle buildings, and $295,690 across all 11 it bought; five were not open at the end of 2024, and some are emergency housing.

      Not yet checked

  5. FactHub record FactHub dataset: Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County. Cost per apartment compared with other options

    Saved analysis comparing group medians, including Seattle affordable buildings without supportive housing in the 2023 applications.

    • Qualifies: Fifteen Seattle new affordable buildings without supportive housing in the 2023 applications had a median estimated cost of $575,851 per apartment, from $350,203 to $845,764.

      Not yet checked

    • The $503,128 median for new Seattle supportive housing planned in 2023-2025 is close to the $490,000 estimate for a typical new apartment building.

      Not yet checked

  6. Government Washington State Department of Commerce. 2024 Traditional Housing Trust Fund Applications Received, NOFA #MHU-2024-02 Free copy

    Commerce's list of every 2024 application to the state Housing Trust Fund, with units, supportive housing units and anticipated cost. DESC Belmont: 120 units, all supportive housing, $59,344,428.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Commerce runs the state Housing Trust Fund and posts every application it receives. Costs are the applicants' own estimates. Commerce also funds many of the buildings it reports on.

    • Qualifies: The cost column is labeled as anticipated total residential development costs, so the figures are estimates at application.

      What the source says
      Anticipated Total Residential Development Costs
      Column heading, every page

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: DESC Belmont asked the state fund for $13,500,000, 23% of its $59,344,428 anticipated cost.

      What the source says
      $13,500,000
      2024 application list, row DESC Belmont, column Requested Funds

      Not yet checked

  7. Government Washington State Department of Commerce. 2023 Traditional Housing Trust Fund applications Free copy

    Commerce's list of 2023 applications to the state Housing Trust Fund, with each project's activity, supportive housing units, total residential development cost and total development cost.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Commerce runs the state Housing Trust Fund and posts every application it receives. Costs are the applicants' own estimates. Commerce also funds many of the buildings it reports on.

    • DESC Lake City (new construction, 120 supportive housing units, $48,193,297) and DESC Woodland (new construction, 95 units, $49,825,258) applied in 2023; residential and total cost match.

      What the source says
      19 DESC DESC Lake City Seattle King K A. NC CMI, MSN 120 120 120 $ 48,193,297 $ 48,193,297 9% Yes No $ 13,437,154
      Row 19 (row 20 is DESC Woodland)

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: Four Seattle new buildings with only some supportive units applied in 2023: Youth Achievement Center (5 of 60, $566,000 per apartment), Rainier Beach Family Empowerment Center (6 of 69, $717,000), South Park Housing (6 of 77, $540,000), Elements at Georgetown (19 of 133, $398,000).

      What the source says
      Elements at Georgetown
      2023 application list rows for Youth Achievement Center, Rainier Beach Family Empowerment Center, South Park Housing and Elements at Georgetown

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: DESC Lake City asked the state fund for $13,437,154 (28% of its $48,193,297 cost) and DESC Woodland for $13,072,445 (26% of $49,825,258); both are marked as using 9% housing tax credits.

      What the source says
      DESC Woodland
      2023 application list, rows DESC Lake City and DESC Woodland, columns LIHTCs and HTF Request

      Not yet checked

  8. Government Washington State Department of Commerce. 2025 Traditional Funding Round Applications Received List (NOFA #MHU-2025-01) Free copy

    Commerce's list of 2025 applications to the state Housing Trust Fund.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Commerce runs the state Housing Trust Fund and posts every application it receives. Costs are the applicants' own estimates. Commerce also funds many of the buildings it reports on.

    • Plymouth Housing's Whittier Housing in Seattle applied with 90 supportive housing units and an anticipated cost of $46,054,745.

      What the source says
      Plymouth Housing Whittier Housing Seattle King K 90 90 90 0 90 0 0 0 0 $46,054,745.00 $10,000,000.00
      Row Plymouth Housing, Whittier Housing

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: Plymouth Housing's Whittier building asked the state fund for $10,000,000, 22% of its $46,054,745 anticipated cost.

      What the source says
      $10,000,000.00
      2025 application list, row Whittier Housing, column HTF Request

      Not yet checked

  9. Government Washington State Department of Commerce. 2022 Housing Trust Fund applications Free copy

    Commerce's list of 2022 applications to the state Housing Trust Fund.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Commerce runs the state Housing Trust Fund and posts every application it receives. Costs are the applicants' own estimates. Commerce also funds many of the buildings it reports on.

    • Qualifies: DESC 15th Avenue in Seattle applied in 2022 with 105 supportive housing units and a cost of $42,043,088.

      What the source says
      DESC DESC 15th Avenue Seattle King K A,NC,RED H(CMI,MSN) 105 105 105 $ 42,043,088 $ 42,043,088 9% $ 5,000,000
      Row DESC, DESC 15th Avenue

      Not yet checked

  10. Government Washington State Department of Commerce. 2021 Housing Trust Fund and Cottage applications Free copy

    Commerce's list of 2021 applications to the state Housing Trust Fund.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Commerce runs the state Housing Trust Fund and posts every application it receives. Costs are the applicants' own estimates. Commerce also funds many of the buildings it reports on.

    • Qualifies: DESC Greenlake (124 supportive housing units, $47,208,490) and DESC Woodland (100 units, $37,921,206) applied in 2021 as new construction.

      What the source says
      DESC Greenlake Seattle King K NC CMI, MSN 124 124 124
      Rows Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), DESC Greenlake and DESC Woodland

      Not yet checked

  11. Government Seattle Office of Housing. 2024 Annual Investments and Housing Levy Report

    The city housing office's yearly report on its awards, with a table of 2024 rental housing awards.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Written by the office that funds the housing. It reports the City's share of each project, not the total cost.

    • The office describes DESC Belmont and DESC Lake City as new construction of permanent supportive housing, 120 apartments each.

      What the source says
      New construction of permanent supportive housing intended for
      Table 5, Rental Housing Developments Awarded in 2024, rows DESC Belmont and DESC Lake City

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The office says rising construction costs, inflation, higher interest rates and record operating costs opened funding gaps in 2023 and 2024.

      What the source says
      In 2023 and 2024, the rising construction costs and inflation from lingering pandemic impacts, higher interest rates, and record increases to operating expenses created funding gaps for affordable housing developments.
      Supplemental Investments for Rental Developments in 2023 and 2024, p. 16

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The City's awards were $13.21 million for DESC Belmont and $16.18 million for DESC Lake City, 120 apartments each.

      What the source says
      Rental Housing Developments Awarded in 2024
      Table 5, rows DESC Belmont and DESC Lake City, Total $M column

      Not yet checked

  12. Government Washington State Department of Commerce. 2022 Housing Trust Fund Affordable Housing Cost Data Report Free copy

    Commerce's report to the Legislature with final costs of finished tax-credit buildings from the Housing Finance Commission, some without state Housing Trust Fund money, and the Commission's cost-field definitions.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Commerce runs the state Housing Trust Fund and funds many of these buildings. The project table and definitions come from the Housing Finance Commission's tax-credit program; used here for one building, DESC 22nd Avenue, and for field definitions.

    • Total residential project cost includes land, reserves and infrastructure for the residential part of a building.

      What the source says
      All costs including land, capitalized reserves, and infrastructure costs associated with the residential budget.
      Data field definitions, Total Residential Project Cost

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The reports count all residential areas, including common areas and parking, so shared space inside the building is in the cost.

      What the source says
      Includes all residential areas including common areas and parking; does not include commercial square footage
      Data field definitions, Total Residential Square Feet

      Not yet checked

  13. Government Washington State Department of Commerce. 2023 Annual Affordable Housing Cost Data Report Free copy

    State report of final costs for state-funded buildings that reported from July 2022 to June 2023, with a project-by-project table (Table 8).

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Commerce runs the state Housing Trust Fund that these figures describe. Required by state law. Commerce notes that many awardees had not yet turned in cost certifications. Commerce also funds many of the buildings it reports on.

    • Qualifies: Only 26% of state-funded multifamily awardees had turned in a final cost certification by July 1, 2023.

      What the source says
      As of July 1, 2023, only 26% of HTF-funded multifamily project awardees have provided a cost certification
      Multifamily data summary, p. 3

      Not yet checked

    • The Housing Trust Fund's cost report defines total residential development cost as including land, capitalized reserves and offsite infrastructure.

      What the source says
      which includes the total cost of the residential portion of a project, including land, capitalized reserves, and offsite infrastructure improvements.
      Data definitions and methodology

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: Commerce warns that its cost data come from too few projects to generalize from.

      What the source says
      The sample size for the data is too small to draw meaningful generalizations.
      Data definitions and methodology, Methodology

      Not yet checked

  14. Other BAE Urban Economics for the Portland Housing Bureau. Residential Development Cost Study Summary, draft memorandum (January 30, 2024)

    Draft consultant memo comparing the cost of one generic six-story apartment building design, based on recent building trends, in Portland, Seattle, Denver and Sacramento.

    Reliability: Paid for by the City of Portland. Costs come from spring 2023 interviews with developers and contractors plus other data, for one building design.

    • Qualifies: The same six-story building would cost nearly $490,000 per unit in Seattle.

      What the source says
      The cost of building the same prototype in the City of Seattle is roughly 16 percent higher than building in Portland, equating to nearly $490,000 per unit.
      Seattle Development Costs, p. 1

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The priced building is a generic six-story design on a half-acre site with about 143 units, based on recent building trends.

      What the source says
      Based on a review of recent development trends in each city, this section summarizes the cost of delivering a six-story prototype on a one-half acre site with approximately 143 units.
      Methodology, p. 1

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The priced six-story building has 143 units and nearly 100,000 square feet in all, about 700 square feet per unit counting all its space; the memo doesn't say whether the garage is counted.

      What the source says
      In total, the project includes nearly 100,000 square feet of space, including 3,500 square feet of ground-floor space.
      Prototype descriptions, Podium Multifamily Prototype

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The memo's per-unit costs include land (about $80,000 per unit in Seattle), and in its Portland breakdown also fees, financing and a developer fee.

      What the source says
      According to local stakeholders, the price of land in Seattle is roughly 60 percent higher than Portland, or equal to an estimated $80,000 per unit.
      Seattle Development Costs, p. 1

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The priced building includes an underground parking garage with 72 spaces, half a space per unit, whose cost is part of the per-unit figure.

      What the source says
      The prototype includes 72 parking spaces, at a ratio of 0.5 spaces per unit, in an underground parking garage.
      Podium Multifamily Prototype, p. 5

      Not yet checked

  15. Party to the dispute Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). Hobson Place 2 & The Clinic at Hobson Place

    DESC's page about its Hobson Place supportive housing in Seattle's Rainier Valley.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. DESC builds and runs the building, and develops three of the four planned buildings in this check. Used only for the type of apartments.

    • Qualifies: DESC's Hobson Place is all studio apartments.

      What the source says
      Hobson Place is also a supportive housing building that will have 177 studio units in total.
      Page text

      Not yet checked

  16. Government King County Department of Community and Human Services. 2024 Health Through Housing Annual Report (Attachment A to Motion 16910)

    The county's yearly report to the County Council on its program that buys or funds buildings for chronically homeless people, with per-building costs.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Written by the department that runs the program. Costs are its own accounting, not audited.

    • The county's average capital cost per unit was $285,772 from 2021 to 2024, and it paid an average of $33,718 per unit to operate its buildings in 2024.

      What the source says
      From 2021 to 2024, the average capital per-unit costs among HTH properties were $285,772. The average annual operating costs paid for by HTH for its properties in 2024 were $33,718 per unit.
      Executive summary

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The county plans to fund services in buildings nonprofits own rather than buy more buildings.

      What the source says
      HTH intends, as funding allows, to continue expanding the HTH portfolio by funding operations-only units moving forward, rather than making future building acquisitions.
      Executive summary

      Not yet checked

  17. Government Seattle Office of Housing. Residential Prevailing Wage Rate Policy (June 2024)

    The city housing office's wage rule for construction it funds.

    Reliability: The office's own policy document.

    • Qualifies: The office requires at least state residential prevailing wages on projects its rental program funds, unless a higher rate applies or an exception is made.

      What the source says
      State Residential Prevailing Wage Rates shall be the minimum rates paid to construction workers on all projects funded by the Rental Housing Program unless a higher minimum rate applies or an exception is made as described below.
      Policy, p. 1

      Not yet checked

  18. Government Seattle City Council. Councilmember Lewis Announces Proposal to Lower Costs and Fast Track Construction of Permanent Supportive Housing (November 30, 2020)

    Council news release on legislation to exempt supportive housing from design review and bike-storage rules.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. A councilmember's release promoting the proposal. The cost figures are estimates from the Third Door Coalition, a group of service providers and business owners.

    • Qualifies: In 2020 the release cited a coalition's estimate that the councilmember's legislation, exempting supportive housing from design review, bike storage and other rules, could cut its cost from $331,953 to $284,200 per apartment.

      What the source says
      could reduce the per-unit cost of permanent supportive housing from $331,953 to $284,200, a savings of $47,753
      Paragraph 3 · Third Door Coalition (service providers and business owners), as reported by the Seattle City Council

      Not yet checked

  19. Government San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development. 833 Bryant (Tahanan) LOSP contract evaluation, Loan Committee, September 3, 2021

    San Francisco staff memo on its modular supportive housing pilot, a 145-studio building made from factory-built modules.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Written by the city housing office that funded the pilot, for its loan committee.

    • Qualifies: San Francisco's modular supportive housing building, Tahanan, cost about $468,000 per apartment including land.

      What the source says
      Including land, total development costs for Tahanan are $68,361,672, around $468,000 / unit.
      Project background

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The pilot's goal was a total development cost under $400,000 per apartment.

      What the source says
      a total development cost of less than $400k/unit
      Project background

      Not yet checked

  20. Government Seattle Office of Housing. 2025 Annual Investments and Housing Levy Report

    The city housing office's yearly report, with the status of each project it funds as of December 31, 2025.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. Written by the office that funds the housing. Used only for project status and unit counts.

    • Qualifies: The City lists DESC's new 95-unit Clover Place with a temporary or final certificate of occupancy dated November 21, 2025, and its funds not yet fully drawn.

      What the source says
      Rental Housing Development and Funding Status as of December 31, 2025
      Table 24, row Clover Place (p. 37); Table 9 gives its 95 supported units (p. 17)

      Not yet checked

  21. Party to the dispute Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). DESC Announces Grand Opening of 19th Permanent Supportive Housing Site, Clover Place (press advisory, January 28, 2026)

    DESC's announcement of the opening of Clover Place, its new supportive housing building in Seattle's Woodland neighborhood.

    Reliability: Has a stake in this finding. DESC built and runs the building. Used only for the building's location and apartment type; that it is the building DESC applied for as DESC Woodland is our inference from the developer, location and 95 apartments.

    • Qualifies: Clover Place, DESC's new supportive housing building in the Woodland neighborhood, has 95 studio apartments.

      What the source says
      Clover Place features 95 studio units for single adults living with psychiatric and other chronic health conditions
      Press advisory text

      Not yet checked

  22. Government U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED). Producer Price Index by Commodity: Inputs to Industries: Net Inputs to Multifamily Residential Construction, Excluding Capital Investment, Labor, and Imports (WPUIP231120)

    A monthly federal price index for the goods and services that apartment builders buy, December 2014 = 100.

    Reliability: Federal statistical series. National, and it leaves out labor, so it is only a partial measure of building-cost inflation.

    • Qualifies: The index averaged 136.1 in 2021, 151.9 in 2022, 147.9 in 2023, 150.8 in 2024 and 154.4 in 2025: about 9% higher in 2023 than 2021, and 13% higher in 2025.

      What the source says
      Net Inputs to Multifamily Residential Construction, Excluding Capital Investment, Labor, and Imports
      Annual averages of the monthly series (FRED annual frequency), 2021-2025

      Not yet checked

    • Qualifies: The index covers goods and services builders buy, not labor or capital costs such as interest.

      What the source says
      Excluding Capital Investment, Labor, and Imports
      Series title

      Not yet checked

  23. FactHub dataset Cost per apartment of supportive housing in Seattle and King County, 2021-2025

    • Tables: psh-projects

      Saved analysis seattle-planned-by-building

    • Tables: psh-projects, seattle-affordable-2023, benchmarks

      Saved analysis cost-comparison

  24. FactHub chart seattle-supportive-housing-cost-per-apartment

Update history 7 changes, last

  1. First version.
  2. Lead question now says it is about Seattle and stands on its own (feedback 2516078493254885458-70b38aad5c80a86e7bc0b6a4db564f68). Added a per-square-foot comparison with a typical new apartment, and said our sources don't measure costs from layered public financing (feedback 2516078493257451842-1f399b56133c00bb331cb66af965b3bf).
  3. The answer now names which buildings it covers: the four all-supportive Seattle buildings that sought state Housing Trust Fund money since 2023 (feedback 2516078450278798022-201dcb86ecc7fc8507036052ada16a2c). The typical-apartment comparison now says the state applications give no floor area, so the newest plans can't be compared per square foot, instead of using older finished buildings (feedback 2516078450276327300-125acb86ca621d81c383483ab019f4cf). The $48,000 figure on rules is now described as a projected saving, not a measured cost (feedback 2516078490471262077-a9358da9e9b369a724fa78316df05469).
  4. Now cites dataset version 2 and chart version 3, which call the benchmark a typical new apartment instead of market-rate. The King County purchase figure is now marked as comparison context rather than support for the claim. Rechecked the four buildings' costs and apartment counts against the state applications and City reports; all match, and none has a newer estimate or a published final cost. Added that DESC's Clover Place, which matches DESC Woodland, opened in early 2026. Cited the state fund's definition of the cost figure, which includes land, and said the 2024 and 2025 lists can't be checked against a separate total; that three of the four buildings are DESC's; that the typical apartment's cost includes an underground garage; that the 2025 list gives no project type; and Commerce's warning that its cost samples are small. Corrected the description of the 2022 cost report. Commerce sources are now labeled as having an interest, since it funds the buildings. Added an objection on how much of the cost rise is inflation, using a federal construction price index. The title now says planned. Shortened the answer and summary.
  5. Shorter title, still saying the buildings are planned; shorter summary; split two long sentences.
  6. The summary now names which buildings it covers: the four all-supportive Seattle buildings that sought state money since 2023; and the typical-apartment key point gives its size instead of comparing it with supportive housing units (feedback 2516078368801925965-1ae24cd77f2878942fbdf0ebe3477df5). Added an objection on whether supportive housing outside these four buildings costs less: Seattle buildings with only some supportive units in the 2023 state list cost more per apartment, and no total costs were found for City- or County-only buildings (feedback 2516078368799623622-2ebeb073f63c778e1eae87aeeb919cda).
  7. The inflation objection now compares the construction price index over the same years as the cost medians (about 4% to 13%, against a 29% rise). Added an objection on how much of the cost is public money: state fund requests of 22% to 28% of each building's cost, plus City awards for two buildings (feedback 2516078363261359899-44a5f5bd4b0550685bc45525037c5467).

Feedback these versions applied

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{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ClaimReview","url":"https://facthub.org/n/article/seattle-supportive-housing-cost-per-apartment","datePublished":"2026-11-12","dateModified":"2026-11-12","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"FactHub","url":"https://facthub.org/"},"claimReviewed":"New supportive housing planned in Seattle costs about $500,000 per apartment, including land and financing.","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","alternateName":"True"},"image":"https://facthub.org/node-assets-v2/article/seattle-supportive-housing-cost-per-apartment/8/img-construction/social-1200x630.jpg"}

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