Travel guide book mogul Rick Steves has donated an apartment property in Lynnwood to YWCA Seattle King Snohomish. Steves has owned the property for more than 10 years, and it is operated by the YWCA with assistance from the Edmonds Noon Rotary Club. Trinity Place is transitional housing for homeless women and children. Steves had planned to leave the 24-unit property to the nonprofit in his will, but decided to expedite matters by deeding the property over to the group.

"Imagine the joy of knowing that I could provide a simple two-bedroom apartment for a mom and her kids as she fought to get her life back on track," Steves wrote on his blog last week. "Imagine the joy of giving people who dedicate their lives (through their work with the YWCA) to helping these people in need the facility to better do their work. To me, this wasn’t particularly noble or compassionate … it was just thoughtful use of my capital."

The current socioeconomic climate inspired him to take things a step further, he said.

"The gap between rich and poor in our country continues to widen. And I believe needs — such as affordable housing — will only increase as budget cuts are implemented. Organizations like the YWCA will need to pick up the slack. If our country truly wants to be great, we need creative thinking connected with our hearts."