Compass serves our community with LOVE, just like our founders, the Reverend Otto and Alva Karlstrom, intended more than 105 years ago.
For more than a century, Compass Housing Alliance has provided neighbors in our community with support for housing, shelter, and essential emergency needs. With more than 20 sites spanning from Shoreline to Auburn, we have been a constant source of stability for people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity through world wars, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights movement, and the rapid societal changes of the last two generations. Through every era, in partnership with our thousands of supporters, we have adapted and evolved while holding fast to our core values of dignity, respect, and compassionate service.
Our roots trace back to 1920, when Reverend Otto Karlstrom and Alva Karlstrom founded the Lutheran Mission Rest and Reading Room in Pioneer Square—a welcoming place where our unhoused neighbors could find a meal, make social connections, and plan their next steps while being treated with genuine care. More than 100 years later, that spirit remains at the center of Compass Housing Alliance.
Today, we provide essential emergency services, enhanced shelters, and dignified, affordable housing to thousands of people each year. At the heart of our work is a simple belief: Everyone Deserves a Home. For many of our guests and residents, that concept may often feel out of reach—especially after months or years spent moving between couches, tents, or temporary services. At Compass, we strive to be a place where people can recenter themselves, begin to heal, and take meaningful steps toward stability.
People like the Johnson family.
The Johnsons—Laura and her two grandchildren—live in one of our affordable housing communities in Seattle. After being priced out of the city they loved, they faced deep financial uncertainty. Yet after finding Compass, their life trajectory started to move in a more positive direction. The children, curious and energetic, also help provide Laura with an optimistic outlook.
“They keep me on my toes,” Laura said. “And they keep us happy. We feel seen and safe here. It is a wonderful place to raise this high-energy family.”
No matter the household, no matter a person’s path, Compass Housing Alliance remains steadfast in our belief that everyone deserves a home—and together with your support, advocacy, and involvement, we put that belief into everything we do.