Building strength and dignity through real estate

King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) needed a real estate partner to help them find a new office space for their staff. The 501 (c)(3) nonprofit serves people in some of the darkest moments of their life, helping sexual assault victims overcome traumas they have faced. ​​“Whether they're children, teens, or adults, we help them to recover from what happened to them. Last year during the pandemic, we helped over 4,000 victims of sexual assault.” said Mary Ellen Stone, Executive Director for KCSARC. “More than four out of every ten clients are children.”

JLL saw an opportunity to merge their real estate expertise with their passion for helping people. Not just so the KCSARC staff could do their jobs more effectively, but also to make the people they serve feel welcome and safe. 

“We became focused on helping KCSARC achieve their mission and wanted to do it better than ever before. That's where we take a lot of pride,” said Rob Nielsen, Executive Vice President for JLL. Championing an underserved population struck a chord with the JLL team, who are driven by the people behind organizations that occupy real estate.

Rob quickly identified an opportunity to positively impact KCSARC’s employees, whose work is incredibly mentally challenging. “They're always helping others. How can we help them?”, asked Nielson. He set out to find a warm, comfortable, and agile space to help improve their employees’ sense of wellbeing.

Providing spaces to help victims heal and recover

Creating the right environment to accommodate each sexual assault survivor personally as they navigate the healing process was of paramount importance. It needed to be a space that promotes regeneration, well-being and recovery. Mary Ellen and the rest of the team help these survivors resume their lives and move on with strength and dignity, putting what happened to them behind them.

Promoting a flexible work environment

It was important to find an adaptable space that would cater to different tasks, with the ability to move things around indefinitely. Since moving into their new home, KCSARC has benefited from the flexible environment and have been fully utilizing their space - changing around the office's layout to meet the different needs of the organization.

Business support navigating the real estate market

Navigating the world of real estate can be challenging. Considering variables that an organization might or might not account for means that finding the right space can be like trying to pin down a moving target. Real estate can be costly, and the commitment of signing a lease can put an organization under pressure. “I have felt consistently like JLL has just been our rock,” said Stone from KCSARC. “JLL always said, absolutely you are as important to us as some of our big corporate clients.”

Going beyond bricks and mortar

The rehoming of KCSARC is a reminder that when the right people are involved, real estate projects become about more than just bricks and mortar. The right environment can be transformative and can positively impact thousands of individuals. JLL thrives on championing organizations that are making a positive difference in the world.

This journey turned out to be rewarding and left an impression on everyone’s hearts. The project was not just a success from an office space perspective, it created a ripple effect that will impact the community as KCSARC continues to carry out their mission to serve.