Town Hall helps citizens repair, finance homes

By Scott D. Johnston

About 100 Ocean Shores and North Coast residents weathered a wet and windy afternoon last Sunday to attend a Town Hall Meeting on “Housing and Home Repair Programs,” held at Ocean Shores Elementary School.

Event organizers Susan Conniry, Randy Peck, Pam Tuttle and Daniel Corrigan were “pleased and amazed,” Conniry said, at the large turnout of people interested in a topic that might seem dry, but one providing a lot of information that can ultimately save low-income residents many thousands of dollars.

On hand were panelists representing a mix of public and non-profit entities that offer a variety of programs aimed at helping low-income people own and maintain “safe and healthy houses.” One of the broad messages was that there are several housing and related programs for low-income residents, with a variety of functions and requirements offered by both government and non-profit agencies.

Dr. Doreen Cato served as moderator and helped organize the event. Presently on the North Beach School District Board of Directors, she has more than 40 years’ experience in education, housing, non-profit leadership and community advocacy and activism. She is a former commissioner of the King County Housing Authority, on the board of the Washington Housing Equity Alliance, and executive director of Grays Harbor Youth Works.

Vickie Raines, Grays Harbor County Commissioner whose district includes Ocean Shoes and the North Coast, spoke about foreclosed properties, more than 350 of them including some in Ocean Shores, which the county will be offering for sale.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture runs multiple low-income housing-related programs under the umbrella of “Rural Development.” Koni Reynolds, from the agency’s Olympia office, spoke at length on the agency’s low interest loan programs for both home mortgages and home repair projects.

She said the programs make it possible for persons who qualify to buy “safe and sanitary, modest housing” with little or no down payment, no mortgage insurance and interest rates can be as low 1%. USDA Rural Development home repair loans “are based truly on your budget,” Reynolds said. She also noted a grant program specifically for low-income seniors.

Lee Hauser, president of Rebuilding Together Grays Harbor, noted that several groups in the Harbor are involved in aspects of low-income housing, and “all of our agencies know each other and work together frequently, in some cases, sharing clients to get work done that one agency may not provide, but we can pair people with two or more agencies to manage a problem. “Chances are,” she explained, “if you call one of us, you may get referred for additional help to another one of us. We stretch our services that way.”

Grays Harbor Habitat For Humanity vice-president Tony Enzler discussed the non-profit’s home building program that has put more than 30 families into newly constructed homes. Habitat also offers a “Critical Home Repair” zero interest loan program.

Jim Volvz, who has been with the Coastal Community Action Program (CCAP) since 2009, talked about that agency’s involvement in a number of programs including the Consolidated Homeless Grant, the Housing and Essential Needs Program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and others.

The founder and president of North Beach Medical Equipment, Rich Lindquist, was also on hand. He offered a brief testimonial regarding the help he received from CCAP with home energy conservation and discussed some of the commonalities among his non-profit’s clients for free medical equipment and low-income folks in the area who are struggling with affordable housing and home repairs.

Housing and Home Repair Resources

USDA Rural Development, Olympia office:

www.rd.usda.gov/wa

1835 Black Lake Boulevard SW, Suite B

Olympia, WA 98512-5715; () 704-7760

Coastal Community Action Program (CCAP):

www.coastalcap.org

117 E. Third Street

Aberdeen, WA 98520

(360) 533-5100 or (360) 500-4506

Rebuilding Together Grays Harbor:

www.rebuildingtogethergh.org