A Decade-old Dream Comes Alive

Ten years ago, several concerned citizens dreamed of developing a community resource center in Pullman to serve residents with limited incomes. As Judy Allen, Executive Director of the Community Action Center explained, “The concept was to make a one-stop center where people could find help in becoming more self sufficient….The hope was to bring together employment services, parenting assistance, and housing services.”

The Fairmount Center – Pullman, WA

Sound like an impossible dream? In 1996, two families, the Shoemakers and the Wilsons, donated a one-acre, commercially-zoned site. A year later the Community Action Center obtained $147,000 from the Washington State Capital Fund. A local-fund raising campaign generated another $125,000. Supported by these resources, the Community Action Center selected an architect and submitted an application for tax-exempt financing to the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. When the application was approved, the group contacted the WCRA to assist with the final financing piece. The WCRA worked with four of its participating members to provide a $700,000 tax-exempt loan to complete the package.

In April 2000, the Fairmount Center in Pullman opened its doors. The Center provides space for housing and family development programs managed by the Community Action Center, business and community training classes operated by Rural Resources and the Whitman County Office of Employment Security. Led by the strong commitment of the Community Action Center, a long-ago dream of a “one–stop center” is now a reality!