A motorist passes an empty lot, left, along Main Street in Washougal. Vancouver Housing Authority is looking to purchase a parcel of land at 1500 Main St. in Washougal to build more senior housing. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
The Vancouver Housing Authority is in the process of acquiring a parcel in Washougal for a 40-unit, federally subsidized housing complex for low-income seniors.
This land purchase marks the last piece needed for the project, following VHA’s acquisitions starting in 2022 of three adjacent parcels from a private owner.
This will be VHA’s first project in Washougal, although the organization already owns properties outside Vancouver in other parts of Clark County, including Camas.
“We serve all the county and we’re trying to have a real estate development pipeline that reflects the needs of the county,” said Dani Ledezma, VHA’s chief real estate officer.
According to the Council for the Homeless, 1,144 people ages 55 and older experienced homelessness in 2023, with about 10 percent age 70 or older. That’s a 25 percent increase over the 868 people age 55 and older that were unhoused in 2020.
Rising housing costs and limited support services are leaving older adults, particularly those who are widowed, at risk of homelessness as they struggle to live on a single income.
According to VHA documents, the city of Washougal no longer needs the site for a planned pocket park because the Washougal Town Center Revitalization Project two blocks away will serve that purpose.
If the housing project receives funding, VHA plans to sell all four parcels of land to Columbia Non-Profit Housing, a subsidiary of VHA, at the time of financial closing.
Ledezma didn’t have an estimate of when the new complex would open.
“We are trying to be as strategic and smart with our resources, like many people we’re facing incredible need, and have limited certainty and resources to be able to meet those needs,” Ledezma said. “This project is part of many other projects that we’re considering … as we think about our work in the context of the market and what’s happening in the world right now.”
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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