Thurston County has enjoyed a strong housing market this past year with home sales up 14 percent and prices up 6.5 percent from last year. This puts the median price of a home in our area at around $341,000, according to Virgil Adams Real Estate. Homes under $450,000 are selling quickly with the average sale taking just 69 days. This means a shortage of inventory in a lower price range. There is only 1.5 months of inventory currently available as well. This is good news for some, but it becomes a challenge for those seeking affordable housing on a tight budget.
Often, people can opt to rent, but in Thurston County, there are not enough affordable rentals, either. Currently, Thurston County apartment rentals average $1,036. Olympia vacancy rates are averaging 2.7 percent for market rate properties and 1.0 percent for affordable housing. This means that for many families, even renting is no longer an option.
“There are a lot of challenges for families in Olympia and the surrounding area in terms of affordable housing,” says Ryan Betz, marketing and public relations manager at Olympia Federal Savings (Oly Fed). Wanting to do something about the lack of housing and the increasing rate of homelessness in Thurston County, several organizations have come together to offer resources for those in need.
“People that fall within this spectrum have a wide variety of needs, from affordable housing options to those who are homeless and needing immediate emergency shelter,” says Betz. “It’s wonderful that we have a number of local organizations that are established to meet each of those needs along the way.”
And, if you are fortunate enough to not need these services, there are ways you can help these local organizations help others.
Low-Income Housing Resources in Thurston County
Help Us Move In
Help Us Move In (HUMI) has been helping families with children find permanent housing since 2000. Their newest project, in partnership with Fourth Street Housing, is Merritt Manor – an 80-unit low-income housing apartment complex due to open late 2018.
The privately supported project is 100 percent funded and construction is already underway at the site of the old Bailey Motor Inn. “This project will help provide a few families with housing, but with 1500 homeless children in Thurston County, it won’t be enough,” says Glenn Wells, an Olympia architect as well as a member of Fourth Street Housing. “We are now trying to figure out if we can replicate Merritt Manor elsewhere, to get more housing.”
While the building is funded, they are in desperate need of donations for their matching fund says Wells. “HUMI has $5,000 monthly challenge grant that we need to match in order for the money to stay here in Thurston County,” he explains. Olympia Federal Savings provided the financing for the project and donated a large sum for the fund as well. Monies in the fund will be used to support families in need.
Learn more about the Merritt Manor project here.
Homes First
Homes First provides safe, healthy, and affordable rental homes for people living at less than 50 percent median income for our area. They have both single-family rentals as well as multi-unit properties available. You do not need to be part of their program to be eligible. Homes First also works with other organizations to help provide housing and services for developmentally disabled community members and those needing a little extra support
Homes First is always looking for donations, volunteers and sponsors. Reach out if you can lend a hand.
Rebuilding Together
Rebuilding Together Thurston County helps people who own their own home but, due to low-income circumstances, cannot afford to maintain it properly. They provide free home repairs to homeowners as well as non-profit facilities. Rebuilding Together serves low-income homeowners who are elderly, disabled, families with children and veterans.
Rebuilding Together is always looking for donations, volunteers who are willing to donate their time/skills for repairs, sponsors and for people to raise awareness through social sharing. Find out more here.
SideWalk
SideWalk provides rapid rehousing for people who need to be off the streets immediately. They accomplish this through time-limited, small rental subsidies that move homeless people into housing quickly. This is followed up by intensive case management to ensure stability. SideWalk says this approach is affective for 80 to 90 percent of the homeless population. In three years, they have moved 500 people off the streets of Thurston County.
You can be involved by volunteering or donating to SideWalk.
South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity
South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity helps with home purchases for low-income families. Olympia Federal Savings just helped SPS Habitat with a new housing development of 35 homes in Lacey. Oly Fed provided a portion of the financing for purchasing and development. They also donated $10,000 towards the construction of one of the homes and a team of Oly Fed employees joined construction crews in August and pitched in with the project on-site.
Habitat for Humanity is always looking for donations of building materials and funds as well as volunteers to help create the affordable housing they provide.
If we all pull together, joining forces with the many organizations already doing so much good work, we can all make a difference and help end homelessness in Thurston County.
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