Justine Gonzalez-Berg

As the pandemic continues to evolve and our understanding of its impacts deepens, we are also having a clearer sense of the ways it is impacting our local housing crisis. 

Dove House has had 101 unmet requests for shelter since March. Bayside Housing reports a wait list of around 100 applicants for their temporary housing. Service sector workers are facing fewer hours or layoffs as the minimal summer tourism slows further. 

And as fall settles in, the many folks who live in sub-standard and non-traditional housing are beginning to chop wood for heat, plastic wrap single-paned windows, and prepare for the months-long battle against mold. 

Many of these people, who are on the front lines of the housing crisis, are also on the front lines of the pandemic; they are store clerks, social service workers, and farm workers. They care for the young and elderly, pour beverages, and make our economy tick. They are our essential workers. 

OlyCAP put out a housing survey recently, the results available online. 

One respondent wrote, “It is extremely hard to see so much wealth in this community and at times a feeling of total disregard for those of us who are struggling to find stable housing. The community says that they are excited for young people to move to town, but where should they live? My only friends with houses come from families with wealth who are able to help them buy a house. The rest of us continue to struggle.” 

Another wrote, “My partner and I are both teachers at the schools here in town, and believe that we probably will never make enough to afford a house here which is sad. Wish there [were] more affordable homes here for people of full time residence or people that work within the community.”  

Local and statewide housing advocates continue to work to ensure stable housing and shelter for all. 

Washington’s eviction moratorium was extended until Dec. 31; learn more about the moratorium at housingsolutionsnetwork.org. 

OlyCAP continues to distribute rent assistance funds; reach out for help at olycap.org or 360-385-2571. 

Our local City-County Joint Housing Task Force recently allocated the second round of grants to local housing organizations. Grants include: Dove House ($73,691) for emergency temporary shelter for victims of domestic violence; Habitat for Humanity ($40,000) to repair four homes for people who make 30 percent or less of the area median income; Bayside Housing ($75,000) to provide rental subsidy; OlyCAP ($40,000 and $200,000) for Haines Street Cottages continuous housing for 24 months and running of the emergency shelter, respectively. Bayside Housing & Services did not receive $100,000 for the rehabilitation of the Cherry Street building. 

Even with all the incredible services our local housing organizations provide, the housing crisis, and the way it has been exacerbated by the pandemic, calls for an all-hands-on-deck approach. 

We all need to learn, get engaged, and redistribute resources. What can you do, today, to help support stable, healthy, and vibrant futures for all? 

(Justine Gonzalez-Berg is the Network Weaver for Housing Solutions Network and serves on the board of Homeward Bound Community Land Trust.)