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Resident tells Spokane County commissioners wages fall short of housing costs, questions county message on funding
Summary
At the Jan. 27 Spokane County consent-agenda meeting, a public commenter cited county income and wage data and questioned officials’ recent claim that the county does not need funding from '1590,' saying the county did not disclose how many of 800 permitted homes are affordable to low-income families.
Becky Dickerhoof, a public commenter who identified herself on the record as "Spokane City," told Spokane County commissioners at their Jan. 27 consent-agenda meeting that local wages and incomes leave many families unable to afford rental housing.
Dickerhoof cited the county's 2024 median household income of $86,205 and said 80% of that figure—often used to define low-income eligibility—equals $68,964. She said the county's nominal average wage of $65,432 translates under the 30% rule to about $1,635.80 per month available for housing, which she said does not meet typical rental costs. "This is shameful," Dickerhoof said, arguing the data show affordability gaps for working families.
Dickerhoof also questioned a recent county announcement that it had "no need for funding from 1590 because without that tax, the county had permitted 800 houses." She said the county's statement did not indicate how many of those permitted houses meet definitions of affordability for low-income households. "Nowhere in that announcement was there any mention of how many fit the definition of affordable for low income families," she said.
Dickerhoof said she attended a housing and homelessness advocacy day in Olympia and recounted hearing from a woman who, despite both spouses working full time as a counselor and a teacher, could no longer afford housing for her family. "Those are not the type of Spokane residents that are being promoted as homeless of Spokane. And yet they meet the definition of homeless in our county," Dickerhoof said.
The meeting record contained no direct response from commissioners to Dickerhoof's comments during the public forum.
The public forum also included a short community announcement from Susie Hokanson about Spokane Homeless Connect and other upcoming community events (see related article). The public forum was then closed and the board moved on to consent-agenda business.
