Yakima Homelessness May Witness A Decline Owing To Housing Grant
Richard Brown, a Yakima resident, battles the cold by huddling next to a fire in a tent at his temporary encampment nestled between the Yakima Greenway and U.S. Highway 12 near the Naches River. As of Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, Brown has endured the harsh realities of street life for around three years, making him a part of Yakima’s chronically homeless community.
However, help may be on the horizon, as starting from June 7, the state legislature has mandated an increase in real estate document recording fees. The fee will rise from $40 to $62, an increase that aims to augment the funding allocated to homeless programs nationwide. For Yakima County, this additional funding will be channeled to the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments, which will take responsibility for distributing the funds among various service providers.
City leaders in Yakima are actively seeking a substantial $1.8 million federal grant, and should they succeed, there will be no shortage of local organizations ready to put that funding to good use.
Last week, representatives from three local entities — Catholic Charities of Central Washington, Justice Housing Yakima, and the Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing — affirmed their readiness to apply for a share of this federal funding. During a City Council hearing held on Tuesday, Isabel Garcia, the senior housing developer for the Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “The funding was needed yesterday.”
The City Council hearing served as a platform for discussions on the operationalization of the grant and its potential applications. Further talks are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday in the county courthouse, conducted by Yakima County commissioners.
The Home Investment Partnership Program-American Rescue Plan, facilitated by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides a promising grant. This one-time allocation aims to bolster local programs dedicated to assisting those currently experiencing homelessness or at risk of such circumstances.
The three agencies that participated in last week’s hearing predominantly focus on facilitating affordable housing. As such, it’s anticipated that these organizations would make excellent candidates for the grant. The resulting funding would undoubtedly be promptly applied to projects addressing the urgent housing crisis.
At face value, a $1.8 million grant represents a significant influx of resources, generating substantial interest. However, when directed toward housing initiatives, which typically involve substantial building or purchasing costs, it becomes clear that the funds can be depleted rapidly. The financial strain and spiraling housing costs experienced locally contribute to the precarious living situations many Yakima residents find themselves in, teetering on the edge of homelessness.
Consequently, while local leaders’ efforts to secure such grants are commendable, careful deliberation is essential when allocating these resources. Ensuring that any benefiting agency can provide cost-effective, long-term assistance to those most in need is crucial, especially considering the one-off nature of this grant.
In the meantime, Yakima residents, local leaders, and organizations alike hold their collective breath, hoping for the influx of $1.8 million in federal funding into the community. Such a financial boost is sorely needed to begin addressing the pressing issue of homelessness in the area.
