In a dedication ceremony today, Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County celebrated with one family in Port Townsend at their new home made possible in part by an affordability subsidy. Public health department worker Erin Vicha and her teenaged children were renting a house that was in serious disrepair and thought they would have to leave the area to find an affordable home. Instead, Habitat provided the support needed to buy a home of their own and stay in the community. Working with her mom, Erin’s 18-year-old daughter Sitka, then 16, helped contribute some of the 440 hours of sweat equity to build the house through her high school trades class.

The way affordability subsidies work is the nonprofit purchases and maintains ownership of the land where the homes are developed, thereby reducing the cost of homeownership for the buyer, who purchases only the house. 

“What this story illustrates for us is that for our community to thrive, the people who fill critical jobs need to be able to afford housing," said Jamie Maciejewski, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County. The organization received a grant in YEAR?. The organization received a grant in YEAR?. 

Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King and Kittitas Counties also made use of an affordability subsidy grant for scattered site housing in the Rainier Valley.

“I thought this could be a life-changing opportunity for my family to own a home in one of the top expensive cities in the U.S.,” said new homeowner Charles Green. A veteran and local hospital worker, Charles and his wife Sandy fell in love with the Columbia City community. They learned about the homeownership program through Habitat and applied, in hopes of realizing their dream of living and raising their family in the area. The Greens are excited to have a home of their own, where their son can have his own room and they have shorter commutes, providing the ability to be more involved in their community.

Other grants address the extremely high cost of housing for working families in cities like Seattle by supporting new construction and permanent affordability through construction. For example, Homestead Community Land Trust applied the grant subsidy into building materials, instead of land purchase, offsetting the cost of construction and lowering home prices.

It makes homeownership affordable for families like Daelen Gates and his partner Sofia Garcia Galindo.

Growing up in a legacy Central District household, Daelen never thought that he and Sofia would be able to stay close to family if they wanted to own a home. Until 2022, they lived in his parents’ home in a basement studio. Today their family, which includes Sofia’s brother David, owns a three-bedroom Homestead Community Land Trust home just a few blocks from Daelen’s family house, built with Housing Trust Fund dollars. Free of the fear of displacement, they now have the security of an affordable, stable place to live, which gives them the opportunity to pursue their dreams, strengthen their careers, and contribute to their community for generations to come.

“The Housing Trust Fund Homeownership program is an integral part of our homebuyer program,” said Orin Kolaitis, CEO, Habitat for Humanity of Island County, another prior grant recipient that used funds to support new construction of affordable homes. “Construction costs are ever-increasing in our rural county that is surrounded by some of the highest priced real estate in the state. Our partnership with Commerce is paramount for us to have a greater impact in our community – to increase homeownership opportunities that get more families in stable, permanently affordable housing.”

This latest funding round through Commerce’s homeownership program closed in September 2024 with a record number of 50 applications, requesting $93.4 million, showing significant demand growth throughout the state.

See the list of awarded projects

Commerce Director Nguyễn also noted the impact of homeownership programs on the state’s affordable housing crisis - Washington needs to add more than a million new homes by 2044. In addition to being a building block for generational wealth, every new homeowner represents at least one rental unit made available for a new household.

“Supporting homeownership is one way that, together, we are reducing housing insecurity and paving the way for a more affordable and equitable future for all Washingtonians,” Nguyễn said, noting that housing affordability is a top priority of Governor Bob Ferguson’s administration moving forward.

Commerce receives state capital funding to invest with eligible agencies that assist in securing the dream of homeownership via various models. These include down payment assistance, self-help new construction, Community Land Trusts and limited equity co-operatives. Homes funded through Commerce may only be sold or resold to households with incomes - adjusted by size - of less than 80% of the area median income in urban locations and 100% of the area median income for rural locations, for a minimum of 25 years.

Local governments, housing authorities, non-profits, and federally recognized tribes can apply for homeownership program grants.

To learn more, visit the Commerce website.              

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