If Clark County were serious about supporting the homeless, knowing that affordable housing is a key element, there is a solution that has been working in other areas since the mid-1980s. That solution is called the Mount Laurel doctrine, which resulted in the Fair Housing Act. Simply put, the act requires that local municipalities must provide affordable housing at an appropriate level for all development.
Mount Laurel is called “inclusionary development” and was enacted to stop “exclusionary zoning” practices whereby communities contributed to the homeless population by pricing them out of the municipality. That is happening right here in Clark County.
If we put back the developer building fees, and insisted that all development include an appropriate number of affordable units, voilà … a big step in the right direction. Why will this be difficult? The state of Washington seems to have no interest in such a progressive idea, even though the concept is 30 years old. The Clark County councilors have made it clear through their actions that they prefer large-lot, high-end housing over “those” apartment complexes.
The proposed Clark County Homeless Action Plan will require more than civil words to solve this problem.
