Five years after Vancouver voters approved a tax levy to support affordable housing, the benefits sometimes are difficult to see. Homelessness remains a pressing problem, with tent communities in many sections of the city, and officials are moving forward with a series of supported campsites to provide safe locations for unhoused people.
In other words, much work remains to be done. But a recent report from city officials details the progress that has been made through Vancouver’s Affordable Housing Fund.
“During the first five years, AHF supported production of 501 units of affordable housing, preservation of 321 affordable units, and housing assistance to 1,144 households experiencing or at risk of homelessness,” reads an overview of the report.
In 2016, 58 percent of voters approved a property tax levy to raise $42 million over seven years to provide housing for low-income residents. The results of the vote indicate a desire by residents to improve the aesthetics of our city and make it more livable for people of all income levels.
Since then, $30.7 million has been distributed to various projects. The primary categories are $18.1 million to housing development, $5.7 million for housing assistance or services, and $4 million for housing preservation. The city takes credit for preventing homelessness for 834 families, with another 310 families to benefit from projects in progress.
According to the report, investments from the Affordable Housing Fund draw other funding: “Each $1 invested by AHF attracted an additional $8 in funding, stretching valuable local tax dollars to benefit the most households.” Nearly half of that additional funding is from developers or private investment, and 26 percent is from low-income housing tax credits.
With the federal government abandoning the goal of building affordable housing during the 1980s, it is up to state governments and municipalities to provide for those who are housing insecure. That has created a burden that contributes to the homeless crisis throughout the country.
Gov. Jay Inslee this year has made housing a focus of his efforts. “We must allow housing that meets the realities of our tremendous population and economic growth this century,” he said last month during a State of the State speech. “This is also a generational issue: If our children and grandchildren are ever going to afford rent or mortgage, we need more affordable housing.”
The definition of affordable housing is debatable. But the fact is that Vancouver — like many cities — does not have adequate housing to meet the needs of residents.
While efforts to build and preserve housing continue, the city also has awarded a contract to Living Hope Church for a Safe Stay Community that will provide shelter for homeless people, the second dedicated campsite to be planned. And the state Department of Commerce recently awarded $1.2 million to two affordable-housing projects in Vancouver.
Reducing homelessness is a complex and expensive endeavor. In 2018, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Martin v. Boise that cities may not enforce anti-camping ordinances if there are not enough shelter beds; last year, Boise reached a $1.3 million settlement in the case. Solutions require more than simply moving unhoused people out of sight.
Ideally, Vancouver’s multipronged approach will have a lasting impact that makes our city more livable for all residents.
