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Shelton Veterans Village advocate suggests county fund rent‑study to boost voucher values rather than an executive director post
Summary
Tamara A. Wilson, a New Horizon Communities employee and Lake Limerick resident, recommended using county funds to pay for a fair market rent study to raise housing voucher values across providers, rather than funding an executive director position for the housing authority.
Tamara A. Wilson, who works for New Horizon Communities and is a resident of Lake Limerick, addressed commissioners on March 4 to recommend the county prioritize a fair market rent study instead of funding an executive director position for the housing authority.
Wilson suggested that using roughly $85,000 (plus benefits) to fund a study of rents across Mason County could result in higher voucher values for multiple providers — including the housing authority and community partners — thereby increasing housing access for voucher holders and supporting a broader set of landlords and service providers. She said higher voucher values could enable households using vouchers to access higher‑cost units, freeing up lower‑cost units for other families.
Wilson recommended the county consider funding a study or a fair‑market‑value grant that would benefit multiple housing providers and described that approach as a more sustainable, systems‑level investment than underwriting an executive director position. Her remarks were submitted during the public comment portion of the meeting; commissioners did not take formal action on the suggestion during the session.
