Housing

A fourth neighborhood of permanently affordable homes in Friday Harbor has celebrated completion, as a 40-unit rental project is in the planning stages.

Lack of transparency dooms Favor 34 private financing proposal.

The Lighthouse Mission Ministries’ Base Camp provides shelter, services and support for the houseless yet hundreds opt to shelter on their own. Why?

A shortage of affordable housing, increasing affluence and tourism, and loss of island culture top lists of negative trends reported in the San Juan Islands.

Review: Homelessness has stubbornly resisted efforts of cities and nonprofits to find solutions; a new book analyzes the reasons why.

Salish Current and the Rotary Club of Bellingham want to hear your thoughts on homelessness — a reality for the well over 1,200 people in our area who lack housing.

How much tourism is too much? San Juan County sets a cap on vacation rental permits.

State funds have been secured for The Millworks, a multi-partner affordable housing project in Bellingham.

Unhoused individuals and families live in every county in Washington. In San Juan County, the problem is compounded by low-paying jobs in the service industry — among the lowest wages in the state — as well as the high cost of housing and a shortage of affordable rentals.

Whatcom County’s unhoused population has seen a steady rise over the past decade, making it hard to plan how to meet shelter and housing needs. But planning — a year or more in advance — is an important part of finding long-term solutions.

Inclusionary zoning policies that either incentivize or require developers to include some units in construction projects that qualify as affordable housing are being reexamined as a way to provide much-needed affordable housing in Bellingham.