Home’s a perfect fit: Washougal welcomes first Evergreen Habitat for Humanity house

Evergreen Habitat for Humanity staff members, volunteers and Camas-Washougal dignitaries celebrated the Vancouver nonprofit organization’s first Washougal build last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 11 at the H Street site.

Washougal Mayor David Stuebe and three representatives from the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce — Executive Director Jennifer Senescu, administrator Samantha Horner and board member Ken Cline — culminated the occasion by lifting and placing the home’s first wall. Stuebe then grabbed a black permanent marker and signed his name on one of the wall’s exterior studs, adding “Best wishes on your new home.”

“I’m really excited,” Stuebe said. “I’ve been involved with Habitat for a while. I’ve got friends that work for them, and I’ve been going to some of their other ribbon-cuttings in Vancouver. I love their mission, and the fact that we got a project here in Washougal is epic.”

Evergreen Habitat for Humanity staff members and volunteers started work on the 1,400-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bathroom, single-story home in June and are on track to finish by November, according to the organization’s chief executive officer, Josh Townsley.

“We’ve done some homeowner repairs out here, but we’ve always wanted to do some new construction,” Townsley said. “This is a great first step to hopefully a very long journey in Washougal to build more affordable housing.”

Evergreen Habitat for Humanity has provided Clark County residents with affordable homeownership opportunities for more than 30 years.

According to the nonprofit’s website, “Habitat homeowners help build their own home alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage,” helping the new homeowners “achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.”

Habitat for Humanity asks prospective homeowners to contribute a specific number of volunteer hours, either on their own home or on another Habitat project, and invites community members to participate in its construction process.

Kelsey Castrey, Evergreen Habitat for Humanity’s major gifts and procurement manager, said the group has already selected a family for the Washougal home.

“In this case, because this is a larger home for us, there was a family that applied that fit perfectly for this home,” Castrey said. “They are in the process of working through all the paperwork and working with their lender on being prepared to purchase.”

The Washougal build came about in a somewhat unusual way after a Washougal homeowner agreed to sell her property to the local Habitat for Humanity group.

“She actually approached us,” Townsley said. “The house was a tear-down, so she offered the property to us at a very reduced rate.”

The project has already attracted around a dozen volunteers who will be overseen by two Habitat site supervisors, Castrey said.

“We have really great volunteers,” she said. “Actually, today, a majority of the volunteers are new volunteers. (One of them) said that he’s brand new to volunteering, but he lives in Washougal, so he’s very excited to be a part of this project specifically. We’re drawing in new volunteers from this area.”

A housing analysis, prepared by DOWL, a Vancouver consulting firm, shows that the city of Washougal has “a deficit of smaller and more affordable housing options” and “declining housing affordability.”

“We know we’ve got housing issues,” Stuebe said, “and things like this are a part of the solution. It’s a big step for us in Washougal.”

Doug Flanagan: 360-735-4669; [email protected]