Columbia Cascade Housing Corp. Receives $2.5 Million to Preserve Affordable Housing in White Salmon WA

Washington State Department of Commerce has announced project awards for their 2021 Continuing Affordability NOFA. Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation’s (CCHC) investment proposal for the Rhine Village Housing Development was selected for funding.

This $2.5M award is intended to leverage additional capital from USDA Rural Development to acquire, address physical improvements and extend the timeframe for which Rhine Village remains truly affordable. Scott Clements, President of CCHC, states “with the apartment homes at risk of converting to market, we’re excited to acquire the property from the current owners, and bring resources to the table to address the much needed physical improvements.”

Rhine Village, built in the 1980s, is located in White Salmon, WA a community that is certainly grappling with housing affordability challenges. “White Salmon is the fastest growing city in Klickitat County and continues to see housing costs escalate rapidly for renters and homeowners. Housing is not a luxury good, and all our residents need a place to live,” says White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler. “This investment in rehabilitating and ensuring the long-term affordability of Rhine Village is an exciting opportunity for our community, and I’m grateful for the collaborative partnerships behind the scenes that made this possible.”

West Klickitat Community Housing (WKCH), CCHC and Chrisman Development have been collaborating for the past few years with the goal of turning Rhine Village back to the community asset it should be. “Rhine Village is home to families that are part of the fabric of our community. I am so happy to hear that our plan for turning the keys over to CCHC and working in partnership to obtain capital resources to preserve this asset for years to come is one step closer to coming to fruition.” Jonathan Blake, WKCH Board President. Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation intends to leverage the state and federal capital investments to rehabilitate and preserve the 36 units as affordable housing for years to come.