FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Sharon Couts
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
425.499.1723

37 Ramps to Be Built in One Day in the Largest Rampathon Ever

Seattle—May 21, 2016—On May 21, the lives of 37 families will change just a little bit, thanks to local builders volunteering their time to build ramps for Rampathon in King and Snohomish counties. Many families with disabilities have difficulties getting in and out of their homes. The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, along with its members, want to make the lives of families facing disabilities a little easier.

Recipients of a few of those ramps include 6-year-old Colby, a tiny house village serving homeless individuals and families, and a WWII veteran. This year, 37 ramps will be built during Rampathon. In the 23 years of the event, this is the largest Rampathon ever. Since its inception in 1993, more than 370 ramps have been built with $1.7 million in in-kind donations.

Colby

Colby was a typical nine-month-old when his mother received a phone call that changed their lives. Colby is a victim of abusive head trauma. He was assaulted by his babysitter, who couldn't deal with his crying. The result was a traumatic brain injury that left him in a lifelong non-ambulatory state. He is now a permanent wheelchair user. His family is devoting themselves to educating care givers and new parents on the effects of frustrated behaviors and development of understanding that babies cry for many reasons and sometimes for no reason we can understand or fix.

Colby is now 6 years old; Rampathon happens the day after the sixth anniversary of this tragedy. Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau will be building Colby's ramp.

Nickelsville Tiny Home Village

Sawhorse Revolution worked with a coalition of organizations to create Seattle's first tiny house village. It' is designed to provide a safe space and transitional services to those experiencing homelessness. Opened in January 2016, it featured plumbed bathroom facilities. Now, they're building a ramp to provide access to bathroom and shower facilities for those individuals who struggle with homelessness and disabilities.

Sawhorse Revolution works with high school students of diverse backgrounds from Seattle and surrounding areas. Under the tutelage of mentors, professional builders, architects, and cross-disciplinary educators, they offer students a widely applicable skill set, opportunities for character development, and confidence in their abilities to engage and improve their communities.

WWII Veteran Hideyoshi Horikawa

95-year-old Hideyoshi has been in a care facility four times due to complications from falls. He has hemiparesis (weakness or inability to move) in his upper and lower extremities. His left calf muscle is weak due to a WWII gunshot wound from his time in the U.S. Army during the European campaign. He has reduced sensation in his feet due to frostbite he received during the war. He currently has to use Tri-Med services to enter and exit his home. His wife is his primary care giver.

Carlisle Classic Homes will be building Hideyoshi's ramp.

About the MBA

Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA) has grown to become the largest residential homebuilders association in the United States. With 2,800 member companies, the association is dedicated to membership value, government advocacy, financial stewardship, and promoting the residential building industry in the Puget Sound region. The association and its members address many of the concerns and issues affecting the residential housing industry. If you are looking to buy, build, remodel or maintain your home, trust MBA for industry professional referrals and practical information to get the job done. mbaks.com

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Washington state and the Puget Sound region are experiencing a significant housing supply shortage. The latest numbers from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service show that we have less than a two-week supply of homes for sale in King and Snohomish counties. For perspective, many industry analysts consider a four-to-six-month supply as an indicator of a healthy market.

The Puget Sound Regional Council has said in their Housing Needs Assessment that our four-county Puget Sound region needs 800,000 new homes by 2050 to meet the future need. For King County alone, the Regional Affordability Task Force has reported a total of 244,000 net new homes are needed by 2040 to meet demand. At this point we are already starting several hundreds of thousands of homes behind.

Why does this matter?
Limited housing supply increases the costs of homes, which makes becoming a homeowner out of reach for more community members.

According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service January data, the median price for single-family homes in King County rose 9.46%, from $740,000 a year ago to $810,000. In Snohomish County, the median price rose 22.06%, from $573,495 to $700,000.

What created this housing supply shortage?
There are several factors that contribute to the housing supply shortage in our region and hinders our industry’s ability to add more affordable housing choices. These factors include:

• Inflation driving up the costs of building materials 

• Limited land supply on which to build

• Local development regulations not aligned with meeting the urgent need for more housing

• Permit delays

• Persistent labor shortages making is challenging to keep projects on schedule

• Supply chain disruptions

Additionally, King County is experiencing a shortage of concrete due to a nearly three-month long strike across numerous local concrete companies. Most American home foundations are concrete, along with other integral outdoor features such as pathways, stairs, and sidewalks. The inability to get concrete to builders’ jobsites is inhibiting their ability to meet the demand for additional housing.

Where does MBAKS fit into this?
Driven by our mission, MBAKS is committed to ensuring all people can attain housing. One way we do this is through our advocacy work. Our government affairs team is dedicated to making sure our members have a voice in policy and regulatory debates that directly impact the housing industry. Only through our direct participation in this dialogue can we hope to create a better climate for housing.

By Cameron Poague, Redmond Reporter

It’s not hard to see the good in this world—you just have to know where to look.

Take the corner of Northeast 140th Place and 100th Avenue Northeast in Kirkland, for example, where Angela Maccarrone can now freely and safely get in and out of her home thanks to a new wheelchair access ramp built free of charge by builder company Lochwood-Lozier Custom Homes.

The ramp was donated as part of an annual event called Rampathon, during which volunteers from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish counties donate their time and skills to build ramps for Puget Sound residents in need.