In honor of Affordable Housing Week this week, Rob Van Tassell of Catholic Charities Hawai'i joins us for a Q&A. Rob previously worked for 15 years with Catholic Housing Services, dedicated to building better lives, stronger families, and healthier communities across Western Washington. With Election Day fast approaching, we have some voting resources to share.
Q&A with Rob Van Tassell
As vice president of Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington, Rob Van Tassell guided the development of more than 30 housing projects for nearly 10,000 people who are coming out of homelessness, low-income, special needs, families, farmworkers, and/or seniors. In November of 2019, Rob began a new role as Chief Executive Officer and President of Catholic Charities Hawai’i. Rob spoke with us from Honolulu.
What inspired you to work in affordable housing development?
Affordable housing offered me an opportunity to apply my talents in accounting, finance, and real estate development, live out my faith and beliefs, and exercise creativity. There are so many great people working in affordable housing from so many different disciplines, all dedicated to their organizations, improving community, and improving the overall housing environment to make the world better. I feel very fortunate to be able to unite my avocation and vocation.
What was your first project with EW?
Our first project together was Traugott Terrace in Belltown (permanent supportive housing completed in 2003), which became the first LEED-certified non-commercial project in the country. EW worked closely with the city, funders, and LEED to flesh out LEED standards for residential projects. The Beacon team, Catholic Housing Services, and EW were a great team: our aligned missions helped us work through challenges together as we reached for the same goals.
While I’ve worked with many solid architecture firms over the years, I found again and again that we were really strongly aligned with EW. EW’s team lives it mission every day, through all of its members – from the interns to the leadership. EW always asks for feedback and changes accordingly. And I appreciate how creative EW is in developing great designs that push the envelope on sustainability while respecting budgets.
What are some of your other favorite projects that you’ve worked on with EW?
One of my favorites is Bakhita Gardens [housing for women exiting homelessness, completed 2010], which dates from when Belltown development was just starting to blossom. It was a great team, and I still stay in touch with most of that team. Another is Villa San Juan Bautista, beautifully designed housing for farmworker families on a beautiful property in Centralia.
You began a new role as CEO of Catholic Charities Hawai’i in November of 2019. What kind of work does Catholic Charities Hawai'i do?
Like Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, Catholic Charities Hawai’i offers a broad array of services focused on self-sufficiency at the individual, family, and community levels. CCH works with everyone from infants to seniors, and everyone in between. We have housing services, transportation services, counseling services, family services, and rental assistance on most islands. CCH seeks out pukas (or gaps) in services and works with local communities to shape programs that respond to those needs.
How has the pandemic affected Hawai’ians?
Though Hawai’I has much better control of its borders than other states, restrictions on air traffic and commercial cruises are contributing to substantial unemployment. The state is working on recalibrating our economy so that we’re not so heavily dependent on tourism. Another challenge has been limited health care capacity on the islands.
CCH has received more than 9,000 applications for a pandemic rental assistance program we’re administering for the State of Hawai’I. We’re all very concerned about preventing homelessness: there are more than 11,000 people in Hawai’I who are more than a month behind on their rent.
How has it been acclimating to life in Hawai’i?
While I love Hawai’i’s beautiful scenery and climate, what really drew me here was the people, their commitment to community, and the aloha spirit (which is codified in state law).
I’ve been trying to apply my trout and salmon fly fishing skills to catching bonefish in Maunaloa Bay’s nice big flats, with no success yet. And I’ve been training since January for the Honolulu Marathon in December, with the goal of reaching the finish line upright in the 15 hours allowed for completion. ;-)
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Check out this Crosscut story about how sturdy Washington State's ballot boxes are, and the safeguards of our vote-by-mail system.