The Vancouver Housing Authority turned 75 in February. It’s the oldest agency in Clark County that develops housing affordable to low-income families. It’s also known for managing the local Section 8, or Housing Choice Voucher Program, which provides rental assistance to struggling households.
In recognition of its 75th anniversary, the housing authority worked with the Clark County Historical Museum to create a display for its front lobby at 2500 Main St. It was designed so that it can be added onto for years to come.
The housing authority was originally formed to build World War II housing. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the creation of it and other housing authorities through the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act of 1937. It gave the Vancouver City Council the authority to form the city’s housing authority, whose focus was to build housing for workers at local industries such as the Kaiser Shipyard.
Vancouver, then a city of 18,000, expected to have thousands of new workers, and they needed places to live.
While some of the nearly 12,400 units the housing authority built during the war were meant to be permanent — and can still be spotted along Grand Boulevard — most were temporary buildings meant to come apart.
There were also thousands of dormitories. Those buildings are no longer standing, but the housing authority was able to purchase the land where they once stood.
Steve Towell, spokesman for the Vancouver Housing Authority, said this was the idea of the housing authority’s board of directors; it was adopted nationally and became known as “the Vancouver Plan.” Back then and today, the housing authority’s board was known for being innovative and forward-thinking, Towell said. Nowadays, Vancouver Housing Authority distinguishes itself as one of 39 Move to Work authorities, which gives its federal programs more flexibility.
Vancouver Housing Authority didn’t open its first housing project for low-income households, Skyline Crest, until 1963. Before that, though, the housing authority proposed building a 200-unit tract on 20 acres. However, the land was next to Park Hill Cemetery and people didn’t want this land converted to low-income housing. So, the plan was dropped.
After Skyline Crest, projects such as Van Vista Plaza and Columbia House came along, forming the basis of the housing authority’s portfolio as it’s known today.
