Catholic Charities in Grant County shortlisted for housing grant

Three low-income housing projects across Grant County have been shortlisted for possible state funding in 2022.

According to an announcement from the Washington State Department of Commerce on Monday, Catholic Charities Housing Services, which operates low-income housing in Quincy, Mattawa and Warden, is among nine recipients on the waiting list for $34 million in possible housing development grants.

“It means that if one of the other developments doesn’t move forward, then we will be considered,” said Bryan Ketcham, vice president and director of housing services for Catholic Charities Housing Services in Yakima.

The Department of Commerce awarded $70.7 million in grants to 20 multi-family rental housing projects, mainly on the west side and Spokane.

In addition, the department awarded $9 million in grants aimed at groups, like Habitat for Humanity, to promote home ownership.

Ketcham said the 95 rental units — 20 in Quincy, 45 in Mattawa and 30 in Warden — are all existing units in need of upgrades, particularly the apartments in Quincy, which were built in 1979. The charity applied for, and is now at the top of the waiting list for, a grant for roughly $3 million to help offset the costs of rehabilitating the units.

“It needs significant rehab,” Ketcham said.

According to the Department of Commerce, the overall cost of updating the 95 rental units — 93 low-cost apartments and two on-site manager units — is $16.4 million. Ketcham said Catholic Charities Housing Services is working to secure the funding needed to get the work started.

And if grant funding does not come through in 2022, Catholic Charities will keep applying for the state affordable housing grant.

“We will keep working on it. We’re looking for other funding and we will reapply next year,” he said. “It’s highly competitive and sought after.”