The massive crowd of people gathered under a tent could easily have been mistaken for a summer celebration.

Instead of playing yard games, however, community members were there to solve one of the area’s biggest issues.

A team of 15 speakers accompanied by members of their organizations from a wide swath of volunteer, nonprofit, and governmental groups came together last Thursday for “Under the Tent: Housing Conversations with our Community.”

The gathering was called to make progress in solving the local housing crisis. While members of the group had met previously, this was the first time they invited the public to come and listen.

Looming ever larger, the impacts of this crisis are draining the lifeblood out of Port Townsend. Look around Water Street these days and you’ll see “Now Hiring” signs in almost every window and those signs are starting to show their age. Many have been hanging for weeks or sometimes even months.

“I don’t want to lose the kind of community I’ve known for 45 years,” said Judith Alexander of the Community Build Project.

Without housing that workers can afford, jobs will continue to stay unfilled and more and more local people will continue to fall through the cracks, either forced to move out of town or into homelessness.

“We have declared a housing emergency and we’re here to provide a solution,” said Liz Revord of the Housing Solutions Network.

Speakers were given two minutes to answer two questions: “What is their project doing to solve this crisis?” and “How can the public help?”

The answer to the latter question was almost unanimous: money and manpower.

Whether that was money to buy land or materials to do the build, every group except one was in need of funding.

The lone outlier was the Real Estate Professionals for Affordable Housing group, which has money to give to low-income applicants for emergency repairs.

It’s an effort to maintain affordable housing stock, and while there is irony in the fact that the people profiting the most from rising home prices seem to have the most money to give, the aims of the organization are noble. Each applicant to their program can receive up to $5,000 for repairs like leaky windows or installing all-access ramps. For bigger projects, like installing a new roof, the group teams up with some of the other nonprofits to get the job done.

Despite the great need, speakers had many success stories to share.

One of the loudest rounds of applause was for Jamie Maciejewski, executive director of the East Jefferson County branch of Habitat for Humanity, as she announced the organization had met its goal of building five homes in five months.

They weren’t the only ones setting high bars for themselves. Many nonprofits presented proposals that could drastically shift the housing situation.

Kathy Morgan of OlyCAP spoke about the Seventh Haven project under construction by QFC, which will have 43 units for those who need it most, including 22 for those currently experiencing homelessness, five for the developmentally disabled, and 10 for military veterans.

Malcolm Dorn of the Port Townsend Preservation Alliance had one of the most interesting presentations, outlining an intergenerational care partnership he is designing into what will become the Peace Hill Neighborhood.

Thirteen acres of planned development would encompass a 57,370-square-foot mixed-use building with licensed childcare for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children as well as housing and services for seniors in a blended setting.

Dorn envisions food service, developers, care operators for both children and seniors, and housing management all partnered to create a space for community to gather and celebrate.

“We’re trying to reach the segments that are being missed today. You won’t see any luxury homes here,” Dorn said.

The next Under the Tent event will take place Thursday, July 28 at the corner of 22nd Street and San Juan Avenue in Port Townsend.