Housing aid makes our communities stronger

Published 9:00 pm Monday, August 19, 2002

A happy event will take place today in Marysville. Helen and Daniel Johnson will be handed a set of house keys, fulfilling their dream of home ownership.

The Johnsons, both deaf since birth, have been unable to afford a home here, even though Daniel holds down a good job at Goodrich Aerospace. After receiving federal rent assistance for the past three years, they now can put down roots here and raise their two children in their own home. They’ll gain the sense of permanence in a community that comes with owning a home. That can only be good for the rest of us.

The Johnsons are the first Snohomish County family to use federal rent assistance to buy their first home. Congress recently made it possible for housing authorities to apply rent assistance money from the Section 8 program to mortgage payments, bridging the gap between renting and owning for many. The Snohomish County Housing Authority and Everett Housing Authority, working with a counseling agency called HomeSight as well as local lenders and real-estate agents, are making the program work here. More than 40 Section 8 families are participating, with the goal of purchasing their own home.

The program teaches participants the ins and outs of buying a home, and provides a second mortgage of up to $35,000, which is repaid with rental assistance vouchers. That’s what makes home ownership possible for many who wouldn’t otherwise qualify.

For families like the Johnsons, such assistance comes none too soon. Home prices in Snohomish County continue to skyrocket even as sales slow, according to the most recent figures from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The median price of a home in the county, the point at which half cost more and half cost less, was an eye-popping $227,950 in July. Young working couples looking to settle down and raise a family, people who would be part of the heart and soul of this county’s future, are being priced out of the market.

People who own homes tend to care deeply about their community. Most become active citizens, the kind that make their communities stronger by taking on roles in their children’s schools and sports leagues, in their churches and synagogues, and in service organizations.

Home ownership is a great investment both for families and communities. The good work being done by the public housing authorities and local business in this area is to be commended.