Housing
Moving in: new affordable neighborhood celebrates in Friday Harbor
A fourth neighborhood of permanently affordable homes in Friday Harbor has celebrated completion, as a 40-unit rental project is in the planning stages.
Home Trust selected to build San Juan affordable housing
Lack of transparency dooms Favor 34 private financing proposal.
House-building is booming in Blaine
Who’s building, who’s buying and who’s left out as construction takes off?
Why choose to remain unhoused?
The Lighthouse Mission Ministries’ Base Camp provides shelter, services and support for the houseless yet hundreds opt to shelter on their own. Why?
By the numbers: wealth gap grows in the San Juan Islands
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: Geography, zoning, economy play into the ‘why’ of homelessness
Review: Homelessness has stubbornly resisted efforts of cities and nonprofits to find solutions; a new book analyzes the reasons why.
Got something to say about homelessness? Write it down, send it in
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.
San Juans adopt island-by-island vacation rental cap
How much tourism is too much? San Juan County sets a cap on vacation rental permits.
Funds secured for affordable housing on Port waterfront
State funds have been secured for The Millworks, a multi-partner affordable housing project in Bellingham.
Affordable housing—however defined—is in short supply in Skagit County
Risk of homelessness high for many in the San Juan Islands
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.
Winter shelter solutions lag behind need as unhoused number continues to grow
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.
Housing pressures spark new look at inclusionary zoning
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.