On Saturday, April 23, InterIm Community Development Association (InterIm CDA) held its annual dinner and live auction at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront hotel. The organization celebrated 47 years since its original founding under the name International District Improvement Association (shortened to Inter*Im) in 1969.
InterIm CDA works to promote resiliency among Asian Pacific Islander, immigrant, and refugee communities. Each year, InterIm provides multi-lingual, culturally competent housing and community building programs to over 1,500 people in the API community. InterIm CDA’s programs primarily engage at-risk youth, limited English speakers, low-income elders, and low-income individuals and families.
“Our mission to uphold social justice for those who need us the most to advocate for them—low-income families and individuals, immigrants, refugees, homeless families—is more critical today than ever before. We know our city has an affordable housing and homelessness crisis today. We’re working hard to care for our community to create more stability in an unstable time,” said Pradeepta Upadhyay, InterIm CDA’s executive director.
The annual dinner recognized InterIm’s long and continuous history of community support with the theme “Honoring Our Past, Upholding Our Future.” At the event, Vice President of Union Bank Tim Otani was honored with the Bob Santos Leadership In Sustainability Award. Otani is a philanthropist and long-term supporter of Seattle’s API community.
The event grossed almost $125,000, with the highly anticipated dessert dash bringing in close to $9,000. All proceeds will go directly into InterIm’s affordable housing and sustainable community programs.
InterIm CDA owns five properties that provide permanent, stable housing to 730 people. Its newest building, Hirabayashi Place, was completed earlier this year and includes 96 affordable housing units. InterIm also offers a housing stability and homelessness prevention program that helps immigrants, refugees, and limited English speakers maintain stable housing and get culturally competent support in times of crisis.
To learn more about InterIm CDA’s affordable housing, housing stability, intergenerational engagement, and advocacy programs, visit www.interimicda.org/whatwedo/
More photos from the annual dinner:
