Vancouver staff describes rental registration timeline, AHF awards and ARPA homeownership allocations

Samantha Whitley (City of Vancouver staff) updated the Clark County Community Action Advisory Board on the City of Vancouver’s recent actions related to rental registration, use of Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) awards, ARPA allocations and housing-action incentives.

Whitley said the city’s rental registration ordinance has passed council consent and the public hearing for final code approval was scheduled for July 14. "If it's approved as it is, we're hoping to then find, procure an online registration platform, and then registration wouldn't start until, hopefully, January 2026," she said. Habitability inspections and related implementation were described as a later phase, with inspections being developed during 2026 and rolling out in 2027 as properties register.

Temporary shelter and AHF awards

Whitley said the city allocated $600,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund for temporary shelter and split that amount between two prior AHF recipients: SHARE and YWCA (each received $300,000). She said the YWCA contract started immediately because an earlier contract was ending; SHARE’s contract timing differs because its existing funding was directed to the bridge shelter.

ARPA and homeownership funding

Whitley summarized ARPA-directed allocations the city received for the Fourth Plain strategy area. She said $25 million was dedicated overall for the plan area, including $9.5 million for housing; of smaller targeted allocations, she said $500,000 was recommended for homeownership initiatives. Whitley said her team proposed allocating $200,000 to two nonprofit homeownership organizations (land trusts) and $100,000 to the city-run homeowner rehabilitation program to serve applicants already on the wait list in the Fourth Plain area; she said this proposal would go to City Council later in the month.

Housing production and incentives

Whitley said the city received about $29 million in requests through a rolling AHF application process for production and preservation projects and has allocated commitments for projects over the coming years while projects pursue state funding. She said the city is considering additional developer incentives such as delaying some system-development charges (SDCs) and fee-in-lieu timing until after occupancy, and removing parking minimums (a change already passed) to lower costs and spur development.

Bridge shelter funding and board concern

Board members asked whether bridge-shelter funding is a one-time allocation. Whitley said county finance had identified $1 million per year from the AHF toward the bridge shelter through the end of the levy (she said she hoped to be incorrect but presented the finance staff estimate). Board members and shelter providers said that sustained reductions in affordable-housing funds would significantly affect shelter operators and other local providers.

Ending

Whitley said the AHF production application window would pause after the end of the month and that rental-assistance and homeownership funding rounds would be handled via a fall application cycle for calendar-year contracts; she invited board members to follow BeHeardVancouver.org/rental (rental registration page) for updates and thanked attendees for questions.