WE CAN DO BETTER!!!
Our Story
The Story Behind Kate's House Foundation®
Frank and Sherri Candelario, Ph.D., didn't stumble into recovery housing — they walked into it with open eyes and full hearts. With backgrounds in international marketing and biotech law and science, they'd spent their careers solving problems at a global scale.
On their daily walks to work in downtown Seattle, the contrast was impossible to ignore — a booming tech industry on one side, more and more people without a safe place to sleep on the other. Frank and Sherri had already given themselves to humanitarian work: feeding the hungry, caring for orphans in Africa. But when someone they loved needed a recovery home, the mission got personal.
What they found was a broken system — unregulated, unaccredited, unsafe. The homes meant to help people in recovery were too often places of chaos, not care.
So Frank and Sherri said the thing that started everything:
"We can do better."
And they did. Believing in dignity, compassion, and a more humane way to house people in recovery, they took a bold leap — risking their own retirement savings to buy homes in safe, appreciating neighborhoods, and building beautiful, fully furnished shared homes that actually felt like home.
The mission was clear then, and it's clear now: use private real estate to provide secure, dignified housing. They built homes for —
- Veterans rebuilding after service
- Moms and kids working toward reunification
- People in recovery
- Foster adults aging out of care
- Justice-involved neighbors re-entering society
- Anyone who needs a safe, stable, community-based home
What they built was radical: shared housing with heart and high standards. Not institutions — homes. Family-like places that change lives. And it proved something the whole field doubted: the private sector can provide housing that's compassionate, financially sustainable, and built to last — the first WAQRR-accredited homes in Washington State.
Frank and Sherri call it compassionate investment — putting real estate to work for good, making a difference while building something that lasts. Their work sparked a paradigm shift in recovery housing and drew a blueprint others could follow: using real estate to provide secure, dignified housing that transforms individuals, families, and whole communities.
Housing heals families.
Real estate, used for good, fuels the future.
Today, that blueprint is used by students across the country — changing the trajectory of thousands of lives through purpose-driven real estate. And the promise behind every home is still the same: no one is disposable.
Meet Our Residents
Eight homes. Fifty neighbors.
Kate's Houses are 8 accredited single-family homes in Seattle — home to 50 men and women, in separate homes for men and women, ranging in age from 20 to 70. All have faced housing insecurity. All are in recovery and committed to moving forward — working, or in the programs we partner with. Since 2015, more than 1,000 people have found a home here.
A Letter From a Parent
"In early September, we dropped our daughter, Ann, off at Kate's Place. The house manager took her to drop off résumés — Ann was so excited, and we were so hopeful. Sadly, the next day, Ann relapsed. You and your staff were so gracious to Ann, and to us."
"I received your beautiful card a week later and just cried. Through this whole painful journey, it's rare that anyone takes a moment to recognize the parents. I have carried that card with me every day."
"I am in awe of the work you and Frank do. When I look back on this year, you and your organization are at the top of my list of people who care and make a difference. You personally made a difference in my life. I felt so loved."
— Cathy and Paul, Ann's parents
Featured
Endorsed by Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington
Kevin Harrington — the Original Shark from Shark Tank — recognized Kate's House Foundation's approach to housing for veterans and people rebuilding their lives, and the nationwide potential of the work. It's a calling to set a new standard: empowering lives, building communities, and lasting change.
Be part of the next thousand homes.
Give where it's needed most, find housing, or learn to build a home in your own community.