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Habitat for Humanity Breaks Ground on Tâlícn Neighborhood

OlyFed is honored to have been a part of the Groundbreaking Ceremony for South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity’s newest development, Tâlícn.

  • 4.13.2023

Jennifer Arnold at Habitat for Humanity Build Site

Drummer that blessed the Habitat for Humanity site in Tumwater, WA

On Saturday, March 25, community members joined Habitat staff to celebrate the official launch of the Tâlícn neighborhood. Visitors were welcomed by Clay Koch from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe as he sang a song to bless the ground. The Cowlitz Tribe, whose tribal foundation contributed $100,000 to the project, helped name the neighborhood. Koch explained that Tâlícn (pronounced ta-lee-CHIN) means help in the Lower Cowlitz Coast Salish language. “Tâlícn speaks to the action of helping. That good work that we do with people,” Koch shared.

OlyFed’s Chief Banking Officer and Habitat board member, Jennifer Arnold, introduced the project sharing that “the core of OlyFed’s mission is helping more of our neighbors become homeowners because we know when you have a house of your own, transformational life outcomes become possible.”

Jennifer Arnold presenting at Habitat for Humanity Groundbreaking“Homeownership means stability, community, the opportunity to build wealth and to access capital through equity. These are key differentiators when it comes to improving education levels, health outcomes and our overall quality of life.”

OlyFed is a longtime partner of Habitat for Humanity having helped build homes, provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable support and supplied financing for land, site and infrastructure development like this project. OlyFed will continue to support Habitat and its clients with affordable mortgages and the introduction of our new Affordable Housing Assistance Fund.

Once complete, Tâlícn will feature 28 townhomes built to the Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard which contains criteria that safeguard health and safety, increase durability, promote sustainable living, preserve the environment, and increase energy and water efficiency. The Artisans Group designed the townhomes which will all feature Energy Star-rated appliances, a heat-pump hot water heater and a ducted heat pump system to heat and cool every room.

Tâlícn will provide more than just a house. The neighborhood will offer a community, a sturdy foundation and a homeownership dream fulfilled for 28 Thurston County families.