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Regional housing agency outlines capital commitments and new member services
Summary
South Sound Housing Affordability Partners (SHAPE) briefed Gig Harbor Council on its capital fund, a $1 million pre-commitment for a Frederickson project, grants received, and planned monitoring and technical-assistance services for members in 2026.
City Administrator Katrina Knudsen introduced Jason Gauthier of South Sound Housing Affordability Partners, who gave a detailed briefing on SHAPE's programs, capital fund and recent accomplishments.
Gauthier said SHAPE was formed through interlocal agreement and is governed by an executive board of member jurisdictions. He described four "buckets" of SHAPE work: affordable housing development (capital fund and predevelopment assistance), program and policy support (grant writing and compliance), advocacy and state/federal engagement, and public engagement materials for members.
On capital commitments, Gauthier said the executive board took action last May to pre-commit nearly $1,000,000 toward a Frederickson South site and that the organization had secured a $500,000 legislative appropriation plus a $1,000,000 state infrastructure grant that will support project predevelopment. "We committed $1,000,000 to that property," he told council, and said that award would be finalized with a project developer in the coming days.
Gauthier outlined SHAPE's funding principles (fund projects inside contributing jurisdictions, prioritize public properties, and pursue geographic equity) and described the SHAPE capital fund's seed partners. He also previewed a menu of technical-assistance options SHAPE will roll out this year — from geotechnical and engineering work to public outreach and rightsizing analysis — and proposed a monitoring and compliance program members can opt into to reduce staff burdens for long-term affordability requirements.
Council members asked about collaboration with the Department of Defense and local colleges, rental versus homeownership balance, and five-year unit-production goals; Gauthier said SHAPE focuses heavily on capital support for publicly subsidized affordable housing and expects the Frederickson project (about 28 units) to move forward within a few years while other pipeline sites could yield hundreds more units depending on financing and feasibility.
The presentation was informational; council did not take formal action.
