A Vancouver housing nonprofit has opened a waitlist for people ages 18 to 24 exiting the foster care system to rent accessory dwelling units starting in spring 2025.
ADU Foundation is building a cluster of seven small dwellings (and one temporary ADU housing two people at risk of homelessness and fresh out of foster care) called Sapling Heights in downtown Vancouver. It’s ADU Foundation’s first major project since Sativa McGee founded it last year.
Many people exiting the foster care system lack rental history, credit scores and co-signers, which are typically required by landlords, McGee said. Sapling Heights won’t impose those requirements, she said.
“We’re trying to give them that history so they can then transition to normal housing,” McGee said.
Sapling Heights will help residents continue their education and access employment and internships, she said.
The one- and two-bedroom homes will be for those making less than 60 percent of the area median income (that is, less than $49,560 a year for an individual). A one-bedroom unit will rent for $1,106 and a two bedroom for $1,327, which includes water, garbage and sewer fees. Rent for the ADUs would remain affordable for 20 years, per ADU Foundation’s requirements.
“It’s not giving them free housing,” said Cat Montgomery of the ADU Foundation. “They’re paying for it. They’re dealing with landlords and roommates and all the same struggles we’ve had to deal with, but we’ve had more support than they have.”
Residents can use Foster Youth to Independence vouchers, which provide housing assistance to people ages 18 to 24 who left foster care (or will leave foster care within 90 days) and are homeless or at risk of being homeless.
The ADUs are specifically for people exiting foster care because that population disproportionately experiences homelessness at a young age, Montgomery said.
“Foster kids, once they’re entering that post-foster care, that’s where the wheels start to fall off,” she said. “And we want to get them rolling.”
A study commissioned by the Department of Social and Health Services found about 1 in 4 people who had exited foster care experienced homelessness within the first year.
Clark County also has a disproportionate number of children go missing from Washington’s child welfare system — 5.3 percent compared with the state average of 3.7 percent in 2022, according to data provided by the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
“We want to stop that and put them on a different path as early as possible,” McGee said.
McGee foresees a lot of demand for these ADUs, she said. People who join the waitlist will need Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families to confirm they were previously in foster care to be accepted, McGee said.
ADU Foundation needs volunteers, Montgomery said, and homeowners willing to have ADUs on their properties. Many homeowners have already expressed interest, she said, with about 75 people signed up for ADUs.
“We’re just so excited to get them set up,” Montgomery said.
