The new Sequim (Seattle, Port Townsend: condos, hotel, houses)

[trailtramp]

I have read that housing shortage in units in the US is about 3.5 million; and about 120,000 in WA state alone. Housing affordability is a huge factor especially to many who may have a living unit one day and be out the next. I don't see the situation getting any better unless there is a massive increase in smaller affordable housing.

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by trailtramp

I have read that housing shortage in units in the US is about 3.5 million; and about 120,000 in WA state alone. Housing affordability is a huge factor especially to many who may have a living unit one day and be out the next. I don't see the situation getting any better unless there is a massive increase in smaller affordable housing.

THIS.

For all the "discussion" I see about homelessness, there's very little mention about a lack our housing, and the huge effect that nearly fifteen years of underbuilding and low supply created throughout the country. There are a number of reasons as to why this occurred, and there are other reasons why people go homeless, but the bottom line is that being able to afford putting a roof over your head- especially on the west coast- is not easy for many people.

[texasdiver]

WE need to be a lot more creative about what we consider and allow as housing. Cities and towns used to have thousands of SRO hotels that were basically a room with maybe a small kitchenette and probably a shared bath. They were cheap and often scuzzy, but they were still a roof over your head which beats a blue plastic tarp.

We should be building thousands of the modern equivalents cheaply and quickly. People don't like it? Save your money and move out to something better. People doing drugs in them? Shrug. At least they aren't shooting up on the street and leaving their needles everywhere.

[PingPongBall59]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

WE need to be a lot more creative about what we consider and allow as housing. Cities and towns used to have thousands of SRO hotels that were basically a room with maybe a small kitchenette and probably a shared bath. They were cheap and often scuzzy, but they were still a roof over your head which beats a blue plastic tarp.

We should be building thousands of the modern equivalents cheaply and quickly. People don't like it? Save your money and move out to something better. People doing drugs in them? Shrug. At least they aren't shooting up on the street and leaving their needles everywhere.

SROs used to be a viable small business opportunity. The buildings "aged out", the economy changed and it didn't make economic sense (regulations, building codes, taxes, etc...) to revamp or rebuild them. It made better economic sense for owners to sell the property for the land value - to developers of more expensive types of housing.

Reality says you can't build "modern equivalents cheaply and quickly." You have to pay going prices for real estate, building materials and labor - and they all have to conform to current building codes. This doesn't make sense for a private entity in the current economy unless the investment is heavily subsidized with state or county tax dollars that provide a decent return on investment.

Just shrug if inhabitants are using drugs? Would you want drug users living in your neighborhood? No, of course not, you'd go full-on NIMBY because you know that property crime like car break-ins and burglaries would skyrocket. Not to mention that drug users would never be able to hold a steady job but spend all of their money on drugs before rent so you'd have to give them a free rent ride to live there. And do you think a drug user cares about the upkeep of where they live, especially if it's handed to them on a platter?

Portland has been dumping tens of millions for the last couple of years into affordable SROs for people who clean up but if they relapse into drug use then they get the boot.

Why am I posting in this thread? I just joined here but I live near Quilcene so I go to Sequim a lot and care about what happens there.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by trailtramp

I have read that housing shortage in units in the US is about 3.5 million; and about 120,000 in WA state alone. Housing affordability is a huge factor especially to many who may have a living unit one day and be out the next. I don't see the situation getting any better unless there is a massive increase in smaller affordable housing.

Please give a source of homeless people who want a smaller affordable house.

As I said before homelessness to some is a life style. Additive people spend their money on their addition. People with mental health issues unless in a supervised condition can't be trusted in any kind of housing. The solution for people with with a mental issue is to valuate them and those who are beyond a reasonable contrition should be put in a controlled and supervised environment. Pushing people on to subway tracks or smacking people in the head for absolutely no reason is reason enough to put them away.

[rantiquity]

The cost of building small house is not affordable...like in some larger communities who spent nearly a million dollars a piece just to build outhouses for the homeless.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by rantiquity

The cost of building small house is not affordable...like in some larger communities who spent nearly a million dollars a piece just to build outhouses for the homeless.

Just outside of Sequim in the unincorporated areas there are homes on acreage with old travel trailers rented out to people, probably illegal but not enforced. Some have turned out to be drug dealers and one I am aware of on Blue Mountain Road was a convicted sex offender.

In Seattle there are now 9 Tiny Home Villages. The "houses" are 8'x10' so 80sf. For those in the more industrial areas there have been few problems, but some others have had complaints from neighbors of noise, trash and crime. Regardless, the City is budgeting for more, but even those are not cheap, at about $6,000 per. That doesn't include permits, grading, plumbing for shared restrooms/kitchens, and electricity connections. Most are on City or Port property, looking for private land with a willing owner would be futile.
No developer is going to buy land and build a tiny home village for what they would sell for.


https://komonews.com/news/project-se...some-neighbors

[MechAndy]

I don’t see how cheap housing will help drug addiction or mental illness.

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

I don’t see how cheap housing will help drug addiction or mental illness.

Well, do you think most of the homeless out there are drug addicts or mentally ill, or do you think that a lot of them simply can't afford a place to live? Not being sarcastic or rude, just asking. I think far more fall into that last category than many people believe or acknowledge. But with an average rent for a one bedroom apartment near $1500 and the frequent requirement two month's deposits (and additional charges) just to secure a place, it's virtually impossible for many to qualify for ANY place to live anywhere in WA.

Tiny houses would provide more attainable places for those who seek it, and for many the option could be something realistic to aim for and even look forward to. That separation could also make it easier to figure out where resources really need to go for people that need different kinds of help. As it is, homeless people are often lumped to one big category, and people are left to draw their own conclusions as to how and why they're in that situation. And then it leads to a kind of firehose approach that acts like they're a monolithic group and tries to provide a one size fits all solution that doesn't really help much of anyone.

A tiny home is leaps and bounds ahead of a shelter or tent, allows for more dignity and privacy, allows people to keep pets, etc. Again, it doesn't cure homelessness or mental illness, but it would definitely help get people off the streets and make it easier to focus resources on the more problematic people out there....In my opinion- and from what I witnessed when a pilot program tiny home village went up in my neighborhood, they are far more of a medium-to-longer timeframe solution than shelters, which provide temporary relief from outside weather conditions but do very little to move people out of their homeless situation....Personally I'd much rather donate or have my tax dollars go to tiny homes, or even to help subsidize builders or developers that could help create lower cost alternatives to traditional housing.

[MechAndy]

I do think the majority of homeless are addicts and people that suffer from mental illness, but hey I could be wrong.

I would like to see an honest non partisan survey that properly categorized these people so we know how to properly help them.
We need accurate numbers before we can make a proper plan.
This is called planning.
You can’t plan with out accurate numbers.

What I do see is lots of people stuck in a gridlock that disagree on how to deal with them.
These disagreements go round and round throughout the years with no end in sight.
Could this be because we don’t know the real numbers of how many fall into each category?
Could this be the fault of Ronald Reagan still after all these year?
Might we be to lenient?

I say these things as a person that is pro healthcare and pro education.