Here’s how the North Whatcom Poverty Task Force would ease the housing crisis
Ferndale should ask its residents for a levy to fund affordable housing, a group studying poverty and homelessness is recommending.
The North Whatcom Poverty Task Force was formed by the Ferndale City Council in February 2019 to examine income inequality, homelessness, food insecurity and the rising cost of housing, according to the group’s final report.
Its findings will be presented to the council on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Ferndale City Hall Annex, 5694 Second Ave.
“Poverty looks different out in the county than it does in Bellingham,” said city spokesman Riley Sweeney, a member of the task force.
“We have less people living unsheltered on the streets and more people sleeping in their cars and in unsuitable locations (such as) sheds, broken RVs, etc.,” Sweeney wrote in an email. “This makes poverty much less visible and harder to address.”
Sweeney wrote that the levy proposal would be a property tax similar to the Bellingham Home Fund.
“It will be (obviously) much smaller in size and scope, currently proposed at 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value,” Sweeney wrote. The cost for the owner of a $375,000 home would be $131.25.
In a report released Thursday, the poverty task force noted that the high cost of housing throughout Whatcom County has affected many Ferndale-area residents.
“Although it is rare to see a panhandler on the streets of downtown Ferndale, one in six Ferndale residents use the Ferndale Food Bank to meet their basic needs, and many families struggle to secure quality, nutrient-dense food on a regular basis,” the report said.
It said that 65% of renters in Whatcom County are “housing burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their monthly income on rent.
Some 2,016 of Ferndale’s estimated 14,564 residents live below the federal poverty line of $24,600 annually for a family of four, and nearly 1,100 residents used food stamps last year, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Ferndale’s median household income is $64,370, according to 2018 U.S. Census estimates.
Comparisons for the Bellingham metro area and Whatcom County are difficult because companies that tracks nationwide rent prices use slightly different methodology.
But there’s no question that rent is steep:
▪ Zumper.com reports that the average two-bedroom apartment in the Bellingham metro area was renting for $1,400 a month.
▪ Zillow’s November 2019 median rental estimate was $1,645.
▪ Rent Jungle’s January 2020 report showed an average rent of $1,221 — up 10% from 2019.
Real estate prices are just as tough for buyers, with the median home value in Ferndale at $410,911, according to Zillow.
Using CNN Money’s home affordability calculator as a guide, the average Ferndale resident can’t afford the median-priced home.
“There is a pressing need to plan not just for our growth, but for our most vulnerable to ensure that Ferndale remains the city of opportunity for all,” the report said.
In addition to housing and homelessness, the task force urges the City Council to :
▪ Build more homes.
▪ Encourage multi-family development.
▪ Allow more housing density in the city center.
▪ Add a second community garden.
▪ Expand bus service within the city.
▪ Add youth recreation opportunities.
▪ Open a daytime warming station in cold weather.
▪ Allow “safe parking” for homeless people.
▪ Expand the Community Resource Center.
