October 2, 2024

Robinson honored for lifetime commitment to affordable housing

Photo by Will Good/Rush Commercial Construction [enlarge]

As the city of Tacoma’s Community and Economic Development director, Robinson helped the Low Income Housing Institute acquire the Heron Apartments which offer a mix of supportive and affordable housing units.

Jeff Robinson, a longtime advocate and supporter of affordable housing initiatives and a major figure behind many affordable projects in Western Washington, has been honored with a Margaret Sevy Lifetime Achievement Award from Housing Washington.

Housing Washington provides resources for affordable housing guidance, innovation and solutions. The organization is led by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission in partnership with the Washington State Department of Commerce and Washington Low Income Housing Alliance.

Robinson was honored during the organization's annual conference, which took place last week at the Spokane Convention Center. His son accepted the award on his behalf.

Over a 40-year career, Robinson has held diverse roles in the public, private, nonprofit and financial sectors and in each has advocated in one form or another for the development of more affordable housing and investment in local communities.

Robinson

He was the city of Tacoma's community and economic development director from 2018 until his retirement this June. Prior roles include managing director of the Washington State Housing Trust Fund; community and economic director for the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association; vice president of community development for US Bank; regional vice president for affordable housing developer Mercy Housing; and director of community and economic development for the city of SeaTac.

In addition to these roles, Robinson served on the Low Income Housing Institute's (LIHI) board of directors from 2004-2010. As a LIHI board member, he supported the organization's work in preserving at-risk Section 8 housing, helped develop rental and permanent supportive housing projects, and supported the construction of townhomes and condominiums for first time homebuyers and people of color.

While working as managing director of the state Housing Trust Fund (HTF) at Commerce (formerly CTED), Robinson worked in partnership with nonprofit housing providers to establish policies for administering the HTF program which helps deliver affordable housing projects.

As Tacoma's director of community and economic development, he was an instrumental figure in the Pierce County Plan to End Homelessness. As part of the effort, he worked with the city's mayor, council and staff on key projects that benefited low-income people and those living unsheltered. Those include several LIHI projects in Tacoma's International District, the Lincoln District, such as Patsy Surh Place, a forthcoming 77-unit senior housing building focused on the needs of the AAPI population. Robinson's housing staff funded the construction of the building which is set to open next spring.

Photo courtesy of Walsh Construction [enlarge]

Robinson was instrumental in funding the construction of Patsy Surh Place, a forthcoming 77-unit affordable senior building in Tacoma.

In this position, Robinson also supported LIHI in the purchase of the Heron Apartments, also in Tacoma, under the state's Rapid Capital Housing Acquisition program for permanent supportive housing. LIHI purchased the then market-rate 80-unit apartment building in 2022 and has now flipped the property into a mix of supportive housing for formerly homeless people and affordable workforce housing.

In a newsletter sent last week, LIHI had the following to say about Robinson: “While working in the nonprofit housing sector and local government including SeaTac and the city of Tacoma, he was a champion for social change. Jeff cares deeply about improving the lives of immigrants, refugees, people of color, seniors, farm workers, and small and minority-owned businesses.”

In his acceptance speech, delivered by his son, Robinson thanked all of his “teammates” throughout his career whom he says, “did the creative and diligent work to help house many thousands of our fellow community members in decent, safe, and affordable housing.”