HomeMy WebLinkAbout061126 email - For your consideration_ County Funded Essential Worker Housing Grants in Jefferson CountyALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
My name is Stephanie DeWitt and I am a REALTOR® with The Agency in Port Townsend. I work in this market every day, and I am writing because the data I see — combined with the stories
of the workers in our community that we cannot afford to lose — compels me to ask for your leadership on a critical issue.
Jefferson County has a housing affordability crisis, and it is hitting our essential workers hardest; firefighters, police officers, teachers, medical professionals and vetererian service
providers.
Coming to this community about 3 years ago, I had to wait 6 months for an annual medical checkup, 8 months for a mamogram, almost a year for a dental appointment and most recently, I
had to wait 4 weeks for the start for a phycial therapy program that I absolutely needed. Perhaps I sound unhealthly, but I am not. These services are standard treatments for most
citizens.
Likely you are aware that the median home price in Port Townsend is approximately $600,000. Conventional lending guidelines require a buyer to earn at least $131,000 annually to qualify
for a home at that price with 20% down. The average teacher in the Port Townsend School District earns roughly half that threshold. At that income level, a teacher can qualify for a
home priced between $190,000 and $230,000.
The same affordability gap applies to our firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, and veterinary service providers. These are not low-income workers — they are middle-income
professionals who are simply being priced out of the community they serve by a market that has outpaced their wages.
We need their wages, we need thier work and we need to help.
The grant and assistance programs currently available through state and federal marketplace sources fall far short of bridging a gap of this size. And while I deeply value the work Habitat
for Humanity is doing to add housing stock, essential workers seeking to purchase a home from the existing for-sale inventory need a different kind of solution.
Having lived elsewhere, programs exists nationwide where essential workers are offered a leg up. We could design a Jefferson County Essential Worker Housing Grant Program to address
the affordablilty gap. Such a program might include:
• Down payment assistance grants of $50,000–$100,000 for qualified essential workers
• A retention incentive structure (grants forgiven after 5 years of continued local employment)
• A simple, fast application process that respects the demanding schedules of the workers it serves
A committment to fund this program annually, not as a pilot but as a commitment
Jefferson County is aging in place and we need growth, good jobs and a promise to be the most supportive we can be. Let's make sure the people who keep it running can afford to call
it home.
Thank you for your time and your commitment to this community.
Stephanie DeWitt
Broker - The Agency Port Townsend
564.215.3218