UNLOCKING THE DATA:
Why Affordable Housing is at Crisis Levels on Vashon
Our goal is to DOUBLE affordable housing on Vashon by 2035!
Vashon costs a lot and incomes do not match!
16% of Vashon households earn $40,000 or less annually.
28% of Islanders spend over 30% of their income on housing.
Only 17% of housing units are available as rentals on Vashon, compared to 44% in King County and 56% in Seattle.
Housing costs have vastly accelerated.
No affordable housing projects were initiated on Vashon from 2017 to 2022: we’re behind on affordable units.
Average home values have doubled from $421,506 in 2014 to $857,727 in 2024.
Homebuyers even at 100% of Area Median Income (about $100,000 annually) are priced out of the market;
The maximum price that homeowner could pay and keep their monthly housing cost below 30% is only about $400,000.
Your Vashon friends and neighbors might not have shared how serious their situation is.
27% of Vashon residents are over 65 and living on fixed incomes.
50% of employees we surveyed are rent-burdened, paying over 35% of their income on housing.
57% of employees we surveyed are interested in employer-supported housing.
54% of employees we surveyed earn less than $72,000/year; 7% earn less than $33,000/year.
People need help!
Over 200 households are on the VHH waiting list for our 128 available rental units.
147 people are homeless on Vashon, according to the 2024 census.
350 (25%) of Vashon School District students come from low-income families.
1 in 7 households rely on the Vashon-Maury Food Bank.
VHH is ready and eager to do more:
VHH manages 166 rental housing and home ownership units.
Our next goal: build or secure at least 150 more affordable units in the next decade.
You can be part of the solution!
