Office of Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council, District 6 announcement.
For a long time in this country, and more locally, in this County, we haven’t established a methodology to build affordable housing to the scale that is needed. Affordable housing is defined as housing for people who make 80% or less of the area median income. For Pierce County, this is $90,080 a year. When you do the math, it equals about $2,250 monthly rent or a house for $370,000. However, many people in our County do not even come close to that amount.
They work in our schools, hospitals, grocery stores, and construction sites. They sometimes have two or three jobs to bring in $50,000. If you look online at the listing sites, homes are not starting at around $370,000. The median home sale price is $524,100, and the average rent is $1,600.
What does this all mean? It means young families cannot buy a home and pay so much in rent that they cannot save money to eventually make that purchase.
It means seniors who want to downsize can’t find an affordable home in their community, and renting is scary because the cost is so high.
It means people who work in Pierce County cannot afford to build equity through home ownership, and if they want to do so, they must look outside our County.
The benefits of homeownership are well documented when it comes to education access, health outcomes, and an increase in the quality of life. I am excited for the future though. With the passage of the Maureen Howard Act in 2023, we will look at how the County can expand the number of permanently affordable units.
Habitat for Humanity is Looking for Homeowners
One of the early programs we are working with is Habitat for Humanity. They purchase single-family homes and build new homes in the Parkland, Spanaway, and Lakewood areas. Individuals, couples, or families must make at least $60,000 a year to be eligible, but it is still an opportunity for those making 60-80% of the area median income.
They provide various resources to help those taking or thinking about this first step. If you want to learn about this, they have put together a workshop to assist you in making some of those first decisions and discovering more about the requirements. This opportunity is on Wednesdays and Thursdays in February from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., and registration is required.
Learning more about this process, especially for first-time homeowners, is a great opportunity, and even if you don’t qualify now, educating yourself can be an excellent first step for an action down the road.
SSHAP-South Sound Housing Affordability Partners
One of the programs up and running in Pierce County is the South Sound Housing Affordability Partners, or SSHA3P, which is a partnership of 15 jurisdictions, including all three communities in District 6. This group meets to discuss ideas around policies, land uses, and opportunities to expand affordable housing countywide. I am continually impressed by their creativity.
This looks like pooling funds to have enough money to invest in projects to build homes.
This looks like purchasing the plans for stick-built homes shared amongst the membership to reduce costs.
It includes looking for opportunities to partner and apply for grants and other funding options.
It is a collaboration to ensure we address the need for affordable, attainable, and accessible homes across the county. There is a need for affordable housing in every part of our County, and this partnership is working hard to do more in our county to increase access to homeownership for all income levels.
Do you have experience participating in or applying to an affordable housing program? Apply to be a member of the SSHA3P Advisory Board! Please help us create more affordable, attainable housing. Apply by Feb. 28 at bit.ly/3rKKTRV.
