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What is a Housing Bank and Why Do We Need One?
How Would a Housing Bank Be Funded?
The San Juan Island Housing
Bank:
Investment in Building a Healthy Community
Working
together to solve the need
for affordable homes for islanders
On April 26, ballots for Proposition 1 will be mailed to county voters. The measure will establish a real estate excise tax exclusively for the support of affordable housing. Please mark your ballot YES and return it before May 16.
Home prices in the county have doubled in the past three years and there is no end in sight. Working people in San Juan County can't afford to buy a home here. Yet our children need teachers, our economy needs workers, and our culture needs artists and artisans. Each of these groups contributes to the rich tapestry of life on the islands, and all risk having to leave the islands because of the high cost of housing. Our challenge is to preserve the quality of life we enjoy by maintaining our diverse social environment.
In response to this situation, the County Council created the Housing Bank to encourage, facilitate, and help fund a range of affordable housing solutions in the county. The Housing Bank will help working families purchase attractive durable homes that will remain affordable for future buyers.
This spring, we voters will be asked to approve a one half of one percent tax to be paid by purchasers of property in San Juan County to provide the Housing Bank with the crucial funding it needs. This money will be leveraged with other public and private funds and put to work immediately to begin solving this problem. It's important that we act now, before prices rise any further.
Together we can meet this challenge and keep our island quality of life.
Vote YES
for affordable housing.
Mail your ballot by May 16th.
This website
is produced by the volunteers of the
Housing Bank Campaign Committee
36 Colorado Blvd., Eastsound, WA 98245.
•How
to Donate to the Housing Bank Campaign•