Thurston County received 68 housing vouchers from American Rescue Plan, Murray learns
Local housing leaders met with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray Wednesday in Olympia to talk about the American Rescue Plan Act, and how the funding has helped local housing programs.
The American Rescue Plan Act was introduced and passed to assist the U.S. with economic recovery from COVID-19. The $1.9 trillion package was signed into law by President Joe Biden in early 2021.
Craig Chance, executive director of the Housing Authority of Thurston County, Karen McVea, director of rental assistance for the Housing Authority, Margaret Salazar, HUD’s regional administrator for the Pacific Northwest, and a local recipient of American Rescue Plan funding were present for the discussion.
McVea told Murray that the Emergency Housing Voucher program, which falls under the American Rescue Plan Act, made “all the difference in the world.” She said the funding allowed the Housing Authority to help pay off old debts for recipients who needed housing, as well as help people get household goods.
Additionally, with the extra funding, McVea said that the Housing Authority was able to hire a housing navigator. Housing navigators help people address barriers to housing by assisting with paperwork, connecting people to the proper services and helping find housing, McVea said.
“To say that this program has been a success would be a dramatic understatement,” Salazar added.
Salazar said approximately 95% of emergency housing vouchers are currently in use. More than 30,000 families in the U.S. have secured housing using the program, Salazar said. Additionally, she said that HUD awarded the Housing Authority of Thurston County $1.14 million for 68 vouchers for housing.
The housing authority’s first EHV recipient told Murray how they were able to secure housing after fleeing a domestic violence situation. Shelters were full, so they stayed in a car or in tiny home villages until they were able to connect with a navigator who helped them find services. They now hold a full-time job helping people experiencing homelessness, they said.
While the American Rescue Plan has provided funding for housing, health care and child care, local leaders and Murray agreed there is still much more to be done.
“Getting that money into the American Rescue Plan to make sure that we had vouchers … was critically important,” Murray said. “We still have so much work to be done.”
Murray added that housing supply is the number one issue she hears about.
“We have a supply problem,” Murray said. “I’m really delighted that the president has put forward a budget with the housing supply fund in it.”
In May, the President announced a plan to grow the housing supply nationwide, something Murray said she supports and would help pass through the appropriations committee, which she serves on.
The proposal would add an additional $50 billion for federal housing programs. The Biden Administration estimates that the program would increase the housing supply by adding 500,000 new homes.
