Editor's note: this article was updated on Monday, Feb. 23
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved $750,000 in contracts with Homes First for repairs of 16 affordable rental housing units the nonprofit owns and operates in Olympia and Lacey.
Homes First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1990 with a mission to provide affordable, decent housing opportunities for low-income people in Thurston and Mason counties.
Homes First owns approximately 60 rental housing units and annually provides almost 300 residents with affordable rental rates in scattered site housing, according to the nonprofit’s website.
Repairs to the 16 units in Olympia and Lacey will include new siding, insulation, roof and window replacements, furnace replacements, property re-pipes and electrical upgrades.
The work is necessary to ensure the homes remain in safe living condition and remain affordable to those below the 60% Area Median Income, according to Thurston County Public Health and Social Services.
The board approved preliminary funding for the repair project in June.
The bulk of the funding, $582,416, comes from Thurston County’s Home Fund, which is generated from the one-tenth of 1% sales tax the county approved in January 2022 for affordable housing.
The City of Olympia and the City of Tenino are exempt from the county’s sales tax, as those two jurisdictions each have their own Home Fund taxes in place.
The remaining amount comes from a state fund established by the Legislature in 2023 through Senate Bill 5386, which tapped funds generated from a local document recording fee for affordable housing grants.
The repairs will include:
• New siding and paint in the 1800 block of Ninth Avenue Southeast in Olympia
• Flooring replacement in the 1700 block of Legion Way Southeast in Olympia
• Insulation in the 1300 block of Sleater Kinney Road Southeast in Lacey
• Roof replacement in the 2400 block of 2408 Lincoln Avenue Southeast in Olympia
• Roof and window replacement in the 500 block of Eastside Street Southeast in Olympia
• Repiping at in the 2500 block of 25th Loop Southeast in Lacey
• Roof replacement in the 9100 Shadberry Drive Southeast in Lacey
•Window and exterior door replacement in the 900 block of Franklin Street Southeast in Olympia
• Furnance replacement, siding repair, window replacement and repiping in the 5200 block of 22nd Avenue Southeast in Lacey
• Repiping in the 1300 block of Sleater Kinney Road Southeast in Lacey
• Repiping in the 4900 block of 22nd Avenue Southeast in Lacey
•Repiping in the 3000 block of Impala Drive Southeast in Lacey
• Electrical box updates in three units in the 1300 block of Sleater Kinney Road Southeast in Lacey
• Siding repair in the 500 block of 18th Avenue Southeast in Olympia
