HUD grant will boost housing help for tenants with disabilities

OLYMPIA – A federal grant for $6.4 million will allow Washington to nearly double the number of rental units it can subsidize for low-income residents with disabilities.

The state Department of Commerce will administer the money from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, adding it to an existing program that helps subsidize rents for residents who have physical, mental or behavioral disabilities and low incomes. Washington is one of only seven states to receive money in the program, HUD announced recently.

The Department of Commerce works with landlords, usually nonprofit organizations that develop housing, while the state Health Care Authority and Department of Social and Health Services develop a referral list for possible tenants.

Washington has 133 units that qualify for the subsidy. The HUD money will bring that total to 260, said Jeff Spring, director of the department’s Office of Supportive Housing.

Spokane has 39 units in five multifamily developments.

The need for such units, however, is much greater, with a 2019 study by the state Office of Financial Management estimating the need for housing for behavioral health clients was nearly 17,000 units.

“It’s literally a drop in the bucket when you compare it to the need,” Spring said.

Under the program, clients pay 30% of their income for rent, and money from the HUD grant covers the rest, with the rent set by the fair market value or the Area Median Income rent, whichever is higher.

The grant will cover the subsidies for the next five years, but the landlords can participate in the program for 25 years after that.