No place like home: Launching a yearlong exploration of regional housing issues

Home is where the heart is. And in the midst of a national housing crisis driven by escalating costs and scarcity, our hearts’ sense of home is often tinged with anxiety.

On the demand side, there are soaring rents and steep home prices to gnaw at our sense of security. On the supply side, growing material prices, permit fees and labor costs make it tough to build enough affordable housing.

And many of us know someone who’s been priced out completely, ending up homeless. This nationwide problem is deeply felt here on a local level.

Without stable housing, most everything else in life is uncertain. It’s hard to get or keep a job, you have no reliable place to recharge, and it’s tough to gather your belongings, let alone your loved ones. Yet this is reality for nearly a third of our neighbors here in Thurston County who are “cost-burdened,” meaning they pay over 30% of their income on housing, cutting deep into other expenses such as food.

Nearly 1 in 7 of our neighbors are extremely cost-burdened, meaning they spend over half their income on housing. People in this situation often feel “one paycheck away from homelessness.” This is tough on households, undermines our neighborhoods and ultimately erodes our community.

So how does an issue that’s so prevalent get so polarizing? Take a scroll through social media and you’ll find plenty of posts railing this way and that, decrying renters, homeowners, government regulators, and landlords alike. Some lament the lack of affordable housing, while others decry the presumed negative impacts of affordable housing — one person’s solution becomes another person’s problem.

Given the statistics, housing insecurity affects many of our family, friends and neighbors — not just faceless people. Since we know someone or may even find ourselves at risk of losing our housing, can’t we find better ways to talk about it?

Over the next year, this monthly column will look at housing from many angles in hopes of finding common ground:

Escalating costs: Construction costs have risen dramatically in the past five years — materials, labor and permits. All along the lines of production, suppliers and builders are seeking reasonable compensation.

And local governments charge high fees to make development pay for itself. That leaves both owner-occupants and renters to bear the costs, often pricing them out of the market. How do we balance the costs of construction and regulation to keep homes affordable?

Shortages: Since the Great Recession interrupted production, the housing market is at least 3 million homes behind the demand. In spite of this gap, there is a steady opposition to new construction, leading some housing advocates to quip, “the only thing more hated than urban density is suburban sprawl.” How can we make up this shortfall?

Renters and homeowners: Social media is rife with the battles of homeowners versus renters every time a new apartment development is proposed. Yet home ownership is out of reach for many. Olympia has been a renter-majority community for years, with Lacey and Tumwater trending close behind. Can we find a shared vision for great neighborhoods that are welcoming to all?

Homelessness: Concern about visible homelessness is rivaled by opposition to proposed solutions. While the vast majority of people have compassion for houseless folks, few want their neighborhood to host new shelters, tiny house villages or RV parks. Where can our houseless neighbors go?

Public housing policy: Housing policy varies from city to city, often confusing housing providers as much as those seeking homes. Can’t we make our region more predictable to build, buy and rent homes that are safe and welcoming?

My hope is to explore these issues in ways that make sense, and encourage people to think of folks that they care about — family and friends — rather than stigmatize them as “those people” they read about on social media. Because at the end of the day, there’s no place like home.

Anna Schlecht is retired from the City of Olympia, where she worked on housing and homeless issues for several decades.