New Leaf‘s mission is to promote independence and quality of life through employment. Housing isn’t its core work, but stable housing had become such a critical need for some employees that New Leaf decided to address it directly. In 2025, after years of planning, the organization purchased six apartment units in Oak Harbor to house employees in severe need of stable housing.
New Leaf refurbished the apartments and addressed major issues before employees moved in. A $6,000 Whidbey Affordable Housing Fund grant helped with one of the final pieces: replacing missing or unusable appliances. The grant purchased five sets of washers and dryers, one dishwasher, one oven, and one refrigerator.
During the site visit, we learned just how meaningful those basics can be. Several tenants shared that they had never had a washer and dryer before, and residents particularly appreciated being able to cook their own meals. New Leaf described the appliances as essential to allowing employees to live independently in their new homes.
New Leaf’s initiative is a powerful example of how Whidbey’s housing challenges reach well beyond organizations focused specifically on housing. For New Leaf, providing stable housing became another way to support the independence and quality of life of its employees—and WCF’s Affordable Housing Fund was able to help make those homes complete.
Support Community Grants
WCF is able to provide grants like these with broad support from our community. If you are interested in supporting WCF Grant Programs, we invite you to make a contribution to WCF’s Foundation Fund, which holistically supports our grant programs, nonprofit trainings/workshops, and WCF operations. Our Board of Directors allocates funding each year to ensure nonprofits have access to critical resources. WCF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to Whidbey Island; all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Learn about different ways to make a charitable contribution here.