County finds 'partners' for housing project

Representatives of regional public housing agencies gave support Tuesday to Wahkiakum County's proposed public housing project.

The county Department of Health and Human Services (H&HS) and its Housing Advisory Committee have proposed construction of a mix of houses and apartments on a land parcel off Jacobson Road in Cathlamet.

The project is aimed at low income individuals and families, proponents have said.

"It's aimed at keeping our residents here," (H&HS) project coordinator Chris Holmes said Tuesday. "It's needed to replace housing that is going off the market."

Advisory committee Chair Suzanne Holmes said there's a shortage of housing for families and for senior citizens, the fastest growing segment of the county's population.

"If people don't have a place to live, they move away," she said. "Housing is a priority. We aren't meeting people's needs now.

"We anticipate more people's needs will be unmet in the future."

Holmes said the housing mix should include family homes and small rental units for single people or couples. The Eagle Pointe Senior Housing Project in Cathlamet is a successful example of the type of work that can be done, he said.

With the county providing the site, other housing agencies can become involved; they would facilitate construction of the units.

Representatives of those agencies said Tuesday they are interested in the project.

Dan Freedman of the Longview Housing Authority (LHS), which operates Eagle Pointe, has participated in the advisory committee.

His agency operates in Pacific, Wahkiakum, Lewis and Clark counties. They construct residences and rent them. The projects can stabilize and revitalize a community, he said.

They also supply lots to another program, Habitat for Humanity, which serves very low income people.

"We see a neat opportunity," Freedman said of the proposed project.

H&HS would ask LHA to be the development agent, Holms said. The agency and Freedman have experience and access to funding streams. And because LHA would buy lots from the county for units, there would be income for the county.

Juanita Burnham, self-help housing coordinator of the Lower Columbia Community Action Program, said her agency offers a variety of programs that help families finance and build a house, including with their sweat equity.

The program has operated 22 years and helped construct over 400 homes in its service area, which includes, Cowlitz, Skamania, Wahkiakum, Lewis and Pacific counties. It has never been able to put together a project in Wahkiakum County, she said, because they never had enough families--at least five are needed. The current proposal, she said, could solve that limitation.

The families must contribute 30 hours of sweat equity per week, working with skilled contractors. No family moves into their home until all in the project have finished construction; she said; they help each other and this leads to tight community bonds. In the end, they have a nice, energy efficient house.

Commissioner Blair Brady, who has served on the CAP board of directors, commented he was surprised to learn how long those families stay in the houses they build.

Another possible participant, said H&HS Director Sue Cameron, would be Habitat for Humanity. That agency, however, would need to change its bylaws to include Wahkiakum County in its service area.

Burnham said Habitat serves very low income families and individuals, often handicapped persons. The family or individual, or volunteers in their name, work with the contractor in the construction of their residence.

In response to questions, Chris Holmes said they haven't yet determined the mix of residential units. They would want to study demographic trends and housing needs before doing that so they didn't create an oversupply of a certain stock.

Rosburg resident Art Hyland asked why government is in the housing business when there are private citizens providing housing.

Freedman responded that the expense of construction inhibits construction for low income families.

"Without the subsidized loan rates, there's no way you can afford to build housing that people with low incomes can afford," Freedman said.

"The whole concept is to make it affordable for the little man," Burham said.

H&HS staff have scheduled community meetings next week in Rosburg and Cathlamet open to the public and will take comments. The schedule appears elsewhere in this edition.