Nonprofit breaks ground on senior apartments in Felida after four years of planning

Some 30 people gathered at the site Wednesday morning as children’s squeals and giggles floated through the construction site. The site is nestled beside Felida Park on tree-lined property. Transit is nearby.

“It’s going to provide a secure, welcoming place for our older neighbors to live and thrive here,” Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, said. “We recognize that housing is health, and we understand that a coordinated and comprehensive approach of integrated housing and health care services, better serves our residents and ensures a better quality of life.”

The development will serve people 55 and older who make less than 50 percent of the area median income, which works out to about $41,300 per year for one person in Clark County.

The development is a first for Clark County as it will offer on-site services from the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly — often referred to as a PACE facility. The Medicare program provides medical and social services to people 55 and older including primary care, dental care and nursing home care.

The three-story building will cost about $30 million and will include one- and two-bedroom apartments at an affordable rate.

According to Specialized Housing, rents increase every year, but in 2024, units ranged from $663 to $1,106 for a one-bedroom. Rental rates will be different in 2026 when the building is slated to open.

Affordable housing is a necessity that our community lacks, officials said Wednesday.

Brian McCarl, executive director of Specialized Housing, said the nonprofit did a comprehensive analysis of the market and found that Clark County is lacking about 2,600 units. McCarl said a lot of that demand is for affordable and multifamily housing.

Out of the 8,752 people who experienced some type of homelessness in Clark County last year, 13 percent were 55 or older. Housing costs, lack of affordable options and a limited safety net are drivers of seniors becoming homeless, according to The Columbian’s previous reporting.

“Low-income seniors are the fastest-growing segment of homelessness in Clark County. So that let us know that we were headed in the right direction,” McCarl said.

The project received grants from the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Firstenburg Foundation. Organizations including Vancouver Housing Authority, Clark County Public Health and the Clark County Commission on Aging also helped guide the project to ensure the residents’ needs will be met.

As speakers lauded the new construction, a blue bird floated down and perched itself on a dirt pile at the site. A blue bird has long been associated with good health, happiness and hope.

“This is a public project, and hopefully, it will add value and benefits to this community and the broader community for the next 75 years,” McCarl said.