Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> Page 14 <br />Everett 2044 Housing Element Appendix <br />Category 2: Sensitfve informatfon <br />dropped to 546. This decline reflects both shifls in funding and a push toward housing-first models, but <br />the result is a shortage of immediate optfons for those in crisis. <br />These gaps in shelter and services translate into housing instability beyond the homeless populatfon. <br />Families experiencing rent hikes, medical bills, or job loss increasingly find themselves in vulnerable <br />positfons—couch-surfing, living in overcrowded units, or relying on short-term assistance programs to <br />stay housed. Many are one evictfon or lease terminatfon away from becoming homeless, especially as <br />vacancy rates remain low and affordable rental optfons contfnue to disappear. <br />The data show that housing instability is not an isolated issue but a systemic one, exacerbated by <br />housing unaffordability, income inequality, and insufficient access to support services. Everett’s challenge <br />is not only to provide more affordable housing but to build a coordinated response that recognizes <br />housing instability as part of a broader housing contfnuum—from cost-burdened renters to those on the <br />brink of evictfon to individuals living in encampments or shelters. <br />To meaningfully reduce homelessness and improve housing stability, Everett will need to strengthen its <br />partnerships with service providers, increase investment in permanent supportfve housing, expand <br />shelter and transitfonal optfons, and focus on evictfon preventfon and housing retentfon. These efforts <br />must be guided by data, centered on dignity, and aligned with the lived realitfes of the city’s most <br />vulnerable residents. <br />Housing Need at the Lowest Income Levels Is Vastly Underserved <br />Among all the challenges Everett faces in its housing landscape, one stands out with striking clarity: the <br />city simply does not have enough housing for its lowest-income residents. Those earning less than 50% <br />of the Area Median Income (AMI)—and especially those earning less than 30%—face a severe shortage <br />of affordable optfons. For these households, the housing market is not just tfght—it is inaccessible. And <br />the gap between what exists and what is needed contfnues to widen. <br />As of 2020, Everett had approximately 47,193 total housing units. Of those, only 2,016 were affordable <br />to households earning less than 30% of AMI and not receiving supportfve services. An additfonal 994 <br />units were classified as permanent supportfve housing (PSH) targeted to this same income group. <br />Combined, these two categories accounted for just 6.4% of the city’s entfre housing stock. Yet this group <br />represents a significant share of Everett’s renters, including seniors on fixed incomes, people with <br />disabilitfes, low-wage workers, and residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness. <br />The situatfon becomes even more stark when placed in the context of future need. According to the <br />Snohomish County Housing Characteristfcs and Needs Report (HO-5), Everett will need a total of 11,685 <br />additfonal units affordable to households earning under 30% of AMI by 2044—5,944 non-PSH units and <br />2,731 PSH units. That figure represents more than 30% of the city’s total housing need, yet progress <br />toward meetfng it has been modest at best. Without significant changes, the lowest-income households <br />will contfnue to be the most vulnerable to displacement, overcrowding, and homelessness. <br />While the shortage is most acute at the bottom of the income spectrum, households earning between <br />30% and 50% of AMI are also underserved. In 2020, Everett had just 11,689 housing units in this range, <br />and only 100 additfonal units are projected to be needed by 2044—according to the HO-5 targets. <br />However, this relatfvely flat projectfon may understate real-world demand, especially if current trends in <br />housing cost burden contfnue. These households, oflen composed of service workers, early-career <br />professionals, or families transitfoning out of poverty, are extremely sensitfve to even small rent <br />increases and oflen rely on aging or informal housing arrangements to stay housed. <br />The consequences of this affordability gap ripple across the city. Households who cannot find affordable <br />homes oflen resort to doubling up, acceptfng substandard living conditfons, or spending well above