Skip to content Accessibility info

C. Don Filer Agency Blog

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Insurance

Helping To Achieve Dreams With Housing Hope


Home is where the heart is. As a homeowner’s insurance agency, Filer Insurance works to ensure our clients’ homes are protected. However, not every family in the community has a house to call home. We’re working with Housing Hope to help more people achieve that dream!

Founded in 1987 in Snohomish County, Housing Hope aims to end the cycle of poverty that traps many families in the community. Their goal is not simply to provide affordable housing for participants, but to support them in building better futures. To accomplish this, the organization focuses on providing a support network, training skills, and fostering a community. People actively participate in building homes for themselves and their neighbors. Until all the houses in a Housing Hope community are finished, the future homeowners contribute 30 hours of work each week to the process.

Volunteers can help with the workload and ease the burden for participants with full-time jobs or children to care for. From laying the foundation to the final touches of paint, Housing Hope appreciates any help volunteers can offer! Kathy Heichel, at our Monroe office, let us know about the opportunity to assist one participating family. Denise Baker and Laura Jensen from the Seattle office volunteered to join her, and the Filer team went to help this June.

At Heggar Plat, a community of seven homes in Monroe, we worked with two family members and the crew boss, chipping in 12 hours to the week’s work log. Our job for the day was applying paper siding to the house, and making sure it sealed properly, especially around the windows. It meant climbing a ladder to the second story at times—a daunting task Kathy was brave enough to take on!

We had a great experience, and Filer Insurance plans to continue helping with Housing Hope’s mission! Kathy and her husband Wayne will return to Heggar Plat this fall, to assist with indoor projects such as painting.

If you’re interested in volunteering, or wish to learn more, you can check out www.housinghope.org or contact Jana Phillips, Volunteering Coordinator, at janaphillips [at] housinghope [dot] org!