Still hope for low-cost housing in Warden

CUTLINE: Under the name of Warden Family Housing, 29 new homes are being built near the core of the city, lending a hand to a long list of farmworkers living in sub-standard conditions, as well as to a city in need of housing for its residents.

by Sebastian Moraga<br>Herald Staff Writer
| July 7, 2004 9:00 PM

Housing project being built a needed addition, investors, authorities say

The city of Warden soon will have 29 new tools to combat one old problem.

With the support of the Catholic Diocese of Yakima, as well as a partnership initiated by a Portland nonprofit called Homestead Capital, 29 new farmworker housing units are being built blocks away from the heart of the city of Warden, helping placate the continuous shortage of housing for field workers, as well as breathing new life into the town.

Steadily rising at the corner of 10th Avenue and South County Road, the homes of Warden Family Housing are part of an effort by Homestead Capital to seek out investors to help solve the need for low-cost housing. The search has yielded 160 housing units in places such as Mattawa, Mabton, and Othello.

Darcy Vincent, vice president of assets management for Homestead Capital said the units, expected to be ready in 2005, will have a profound effect in the fight for affordable housing for farmworkers, as well as in Warden itself.

"They are going to be by far the nicest rental in Warden," she said, adding that the origin of the project can be found in a long history of field workers living in substandard conditions.

"In our market study we found great need among seasonal workers," she said, noting that the numbers of farmworkers in need of housing are in the thousands in the Yakima Valley. "We focused on people who do seasonal work but plan to stay (in a town)."

Vincent said that the Diocese of Yakima is the entity gathering information for prospective tenants. "Once construction starts, people start showing interest," she said. A press release from Homestead Capital states construction began at the end of last month. Mario Villanueva from the Diocese of Yakima Housing Services did not return the Herald's phone calls

Warden is a city with a heavy Mexican population, and that is not lost in the construction of these units, Vincent said. As its name indicates, Warden Family Housing will be family oriented, with larger dining areas and a central courtyard for the children to play.

What is not child's play is the fact that given that this project is sponsored and put together by the Diocese of Yakima, it is not taxable, hence leaving the city of Warden without an important source of property taxes. Still, Warden City Manager Mike Thompson welcomes the new addition to his city.

"It would be nice if it were on the tax rolls, but it is something we don't have much say over," he said. Besides, Thompson said the property which will now see a brand new housing complex grow had been sitting empty for years, making it a needed addition to Warden.

"We do need the housing," he said.

Thompson said that by looking at similar projects, the units being built a short distance away from Warden High School will be well maintained, and it will end up being a benefit to the city, lack of revenues notwithstanding.

Vincent agreed, saying that what people find after the project has been finished, is that although it takes money off the tax rolls, it fills a greater need by allowing people to have affordable and permanent home, which comes with economic benefits of its own.

"It provides a greater economic stream to the community," she said. "They will not be migrants. They will stay and shop at their stores."