To the Editor,
Many of us are affected by the housing rental crisis: our rents are often high and not commensurate with our incomes, many of us pay a large percentage of our income on rent, and there’s just not enough housing to go around. According to the 2019 Community Health Assessment, 27% of all households in the Mid-Columbia region (Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler, Klickitat, and Skamania Counties) paid over 50% or more of their income on housing. The number was even greater for those on Medicaid and those with low income, or earning 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which is about $57,360 for a family of four in Hood River.
Lack of affordable housing is the major driver behind housing insecurity and houselessness. In Hood River County, there are 1,162 individuals or families currently in need of housing. Over 700 of these households earn less than 50% of AMI, or about $35,850 per year. The problem is, private developers are not producing housing that those making under $60,000 annually can afford. Instead, developers are producing housing that is affordable to those making higher incomes, creating a shortage specifically for low income families.
This injustice is playing out all over the country. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a national shortage of 6.8 million rentals affordable to households at or below the poverty line. No state in the US has an adequate number of rentals for the lowest income renters: Oregon provides 25 rentals per 100 extremely low income households and Washington provides 31 rentals per 100 extremely low income households. BIPOC communities are especially hard hit when it comes to housing security because of structural racism and a legacy of discriminatory lending policies. Across the US, BIPOC communities experience homelessness at a greater rate than whites.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the housing crisis, with many Americans unable to pay rent due to layoffs and loss of income. According to the Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, 15% of all adults were not caught up on rent from August 18 - 30th of 2021. This number was 22% of Black Americans, 19% for Asian Americans, and 18% for Latinos.
This is an issue that demands immediate attention, as housing affects all aspects of life from educational outcomes to mental health, and it impacts everyone in the community. The key to addressing the housing crisis is to produce housing options that are affordable to vulnerable and low income members of the community.
Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is focused on developing Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), which is service-enriched housing that is affordable to vulnerable community members who may be coming out of homelessness or have incomes below 30% of AMI, or about $23,040 annually. MCCAC hopes to begin tackling this through the redevelopment of The Hamilton Apartments in Wasco County and plans to expand housing options through its strong partnership with the Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation and Mid-Columbia Housing Authority.
Addressing houselessness in the community cannot be done without understanding how different factors like income, race and ethnicity, immigration status, and sexual orientation and gender identity all impact our lived experiences and our access to affordable, safe housing. We must learn where inequities lie and support marginalized groups who are disproportionately impacted by houselessness.
Finally, creating affordable housing cannot be done single handedly. Community partnerships are critical to creating affordable housing, and working collaboratively is something the Mid Columbia region does best. By working with and strengthening relationships with partner organizations like Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation, the Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, Nch’I Wana Housing, One Community Health, and the Mid-Columbia Center for Living, Mid-Columbia Community Action Council is both gaining valuable feedback on their programs as well as more effectively creating a strong regional houselessness services system.
It’s not easy work, but by focusing on the root cause of houselessness, we can support those in our community to find secure, affordable housing.
Check out MCCAC’s new strategic plan at https://www.mccac.com/strategic-plan.
Judy Bankman
