Nonprofit buys apartment complex for $1 in a rural northeast Washington town, hoping to preserve needed housing
A four-member volunteer board in a rural Eastern Washington town sold an apartment complex for $1 , hoping the move will help protect one of the town’s only low-income options.
Rural Resources bought an apartment complex in Metaline Falls, a town of about 284 people near the Canadian border, for $1 after being awarded $4.7 million from the Washington State Department of Commerce to renovate it. Owned previously by a board of volunteers, Bryan Raines, CEO of the nonprofit, said the 22-unit apartment complex, also known as the Kaniksu Village, was built in the 1970s. By renovating it, he said, they are preserving crucial housing for the area.
The funding was the result of a joint effort between Rural Resources, the Spokane Housing Authority, Pend Oreille County and the Office of Rural & Farmworkers Housing, he added.
“It’s so critical to make sure that residents that currently occupy are able to stay in the community, and that we’re able to continue having that property exist in that area,” Raines said.
According to a 2022-23 Pend Oreille County Community Health Needs Assessment – coordinated by Northeast Tri County Health District and the Spokane Regional Health District – housing was the issue cited most by participants. Terms like “affordable” and “quality housing” were some of the most used among group participants, according to the assessment.
Nicki Dickinson, president of the volunteer board, said that’s why they sold it for $1 dollar.
“That’s one of the only (housing) we have here for low-income people and for veterans,” Dickinson said.
She said they tried to keep up with repairs, but about two years ago the board realized they lacked funds to undertake extensive renovations. Much of what they used to maintain the apartment complex came from rent money, Dickinson said.
She added two of the board members had full-time jobs, so when tenants were calling for maintenance issues, she and Kathy Mondich, another board member, were the ones addressing their concerns.
“We were the ones for everything. We were kind of just stuck,” Dickinson said.
Raines said the nonprofit plans to begin renovations in September on three of the 22 units that are currently vacant. Once the first three are finished, the nonprofit will move three individuals out of their unrenovated units into the remodeled ones.
“Obviously it’s going to cause a little bit of displacement. We’ve got a lot of folks that I think have probably been in their units for years, if not decades, at this point in time. So we’re really conscious of that,” Raines said.
Renovations for the apartment complex will include roof replacements, plumbing and electrical upgrades, he said. The project is expected to be completed by June 2027.
“We’re saving and preserving property, but we’re also helping improve quality of life as well,” Raines said. “We all definitely thought it was worthwhile, and the long-term impact it could have for that area is huge.”