YWCA housing provides new chance at college for Issaquah mother

Published 1:26 pm Thursday, December 1, 2011

Having begun college courses five different times, Kim Nieves is done with starting her college career. For the new YWCA resident, it’s time to finish.

A single mother, she wants to get an education as a linguist and to pick up a third language, but living so far from school made it hard to keep up with classes and spend time with her son.

Now, the new low-income housing in the Issaquah Highlands has made it possible for her to live close to Bellevue College, where she plans to enroll this winter.

Nieves isn’t alone. The Eastside could use a few more low-income complex’s like Issaquah Family Village, but the area faces the stereotype that the poor don’t exist there, said June Wiley, a regional director for the YWCA.

It’s not just a matter of having low-income housing available in the region. It’s a matter of having it on the Eastside.

“Just because we’re not in a higher income bracket, it doesn’t mean we don’t want to be in nice surroundings,” Nieves said.

She came from a shabby, one-bedroom apartment she rented in an Auburn house. The space was so small, she shared a kitchen. She was constantly worried about her son’s safety in the neighborhood, but there wasn’t space for him to hangout inside.

Gazing from the windows in her new two-bedroom apartment, Nieves commented on the beauty of the Issaquah Alps, which were highlighted by yellow fall leaves.

A generous courtyard, carved for community, turns through play areas.

“It’s peaceful here,” she said. “I don’t worry.”

The move hasn’t just been good for her education, it’s been exceptional for her eighth-grade son, Ruben.

He earned a fair share of A’s in his former district, where he was invited to enter a leadership program. When he transferred to the Issaquah School District, he found he was behind the rest of the students.

A diligent student, he started coming home on the late bus, so he could spend extra time studying. When Nieves asked him where he had been, he told her that he knew she wouldn’t be pleased if he didn’t bring home A’s.

The school atmosphere was a surprise for Ruben, she said. “He said, ‘Mom, I’m not the only one in the library anymore.’”

Moving In

Raised in Puerto Rico, Nieves has used her understanding of the Spanish language to work as a translator for 10 years. She’s long wanted to pick up a third language and get a formal education in linguistics.

“I work hard,” she said. “What I’m trying to do is work a little bit smarter.”

While Bellevue College is a straight shot from Issaquah now, in a few years the college is hoping to have a campus a few blocks away.

For students, stable housing is key for succeeding in any educational program. It’s natural that food and housing concerns would supersede education, Wiley said.

“We’re not talking about kids needing an iPhone,” she said. “Kids need stable roofs over their heads.”

The residents at the YWCA come from a wide variety of backgrounds, income brackets and with different goals. Their rents vary as much as their needs.

Nieves pays $870 a month, a bargain for an Eastside apartment. The prices vary from $380, for some studios, to the max rent of $1,323, for a large three-bedroom space.

The non-profit opened its doors this summer, and since has finished its second phase of construction.

While there is a waiting list to get in, only about half the apartments have tenants. Its on schedule for move-ins, but the pre-qualification process takes some time. There are 144 apartments in all.

Kim Nieves stands in the kitchen of her new apartment at the YWCA. BY CELESTE GRACEY, ISSAQUAH REPORTER