MILLWORKS HOUSING INTERNSHIP

During my senior year of college, I worked closely with Mercy Housing Northwest, an organization which specializes in developing and managing senior or low-income housing developments. I assisted with the design, development, and community outreach efforts for the millworks low-income housing development in Bellingham. 

Mercy Housing Northwest and I worked closely with RMC Architects, a Bellingham based architecture firm, on the layout and design of the apartment complex through each step of the design process. I managed multiple community outreach efforts which aimed to educate the community about the design process and get input from them about changes they would like to see made. 

I had the opportunity to create, distribute, and analyze a survey as well as organize two in person events. The first event was with local families where we hoped to gain input on their wishes and criticisms in the early stages of development. English was not the first language for many families in attendance, so we used display posters and cards with pictures to help communicate ideas and quantify responses. I also worked with middle school classes to teach the children about cities and planning while also asking them what they would like to see added to the city. We used maps and trace paper to allow them to draw their designs and the same picture cards as used before with the families.