affordable housing
The challenging path for the unhoused to permanent housing
Game-changing supportive relationships and availability of affordable housing help overcome challenges for the unhoused.
Reducing food waste: part of the food insecurity solution
Food insecurity is a multifaceted issue with more than one cause — but managing food waste may be part of the solution.
Bellingham mayoral candidates field forum questions in primary quest
What should be the way forward for downtown Bellingham vitality, a new jail, waterfront development and housing? Bellingham mayoral primary candidates offered responses in an online forum this week.
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.
City seeks balance: housing needs and forest benefits
Bellingham faces the challenge of building homes to meet housing needs while preserving trees for public and environmental health.
Expectations are high, questions remain as waterfront neighborhood takes shape
In early planning, Bellingham envisioned an urban village, public spaces, new jobs and low-income housing on the former GP property on Bellingham Bay. What’s actually in development?
Home Trust selected to build San Juan affordable housing
Lack of transparency dooms Favor 34 private financing proposal.
Can we prevent homelessness?
Commentary: There are many reasons people become homeless — can it be prevented? Unequivocally, yes, says one close observer. Housing and income play into the complex causes.
House-building is booming in Blaine
Who’s building, who’s buying and who’s left out as construction takes off?
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.
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.