by Doug Mah, Doug Mah and Associates, Thurston Chamber Public Policy Director
The affordable housing crisis continues to dominate headlines and public policy discussions across the region and at all levels of government.
The South Sound Military & Communities Partnership (SSMCP) received a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment to study the issues and barriers service members at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) must face to secure off-base housing and to provide recommendations for improving the experience.
The study, titled JBLM Off-Installation Housing Study (September 2, 2020), is unique because it focused on the need for housing that is affordable for E1 to E5, or the lowest paid, service members. There is a sizable population within the JBLM Study Area. About 719,000 people live within this area of Pierce and Thurston County. In 2019, more than 31,000 active duty service members were stationed at JBLM and the number of E1 to E5 service members living off-base, was estimated to be almost 8,000. For comparison, the estimated population of the City of Yelm is 9,400.
As expected, the study demonstrates that there is a need for lower cost, market rate housing products, for E1 to E5 service members. The study also shows that the experience of service member is consistent with the non-service members seeking housing in the South Sound Region.
A shortage of for-sale housing and historically low vacancy rates for rental properties results in rising housing costs. The shortage of housing stock creates financial and emotional stress for everyone seeking housing in the area. This was found to be particularly acute for the junior ranked service members that are generally new to the area, young and susceptible to financial risk and stress associated with finding housing.
The study did note that affordability is less of an issue for military households due to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) members received in addition to their salary. Based on prevailing prices and rents, the BAH for military personnel identifies approximately 88 percent of the total housing stock in the market area as affordable to active duty service members.
However, the key challenge faced by military service members is finding available housing within a 30-minute drive given the region’s supply limitations.
The study found that 60 percent of E1 to E5 respondents believe there is not an adequate supply of quality housing within a 30-minute drive to post that is within their BAH range. Thirty four percent reported that it took over one month to locate suitable housing. About half reported that they located housing without any assistance from the JBLM Rental Partnership Program, and without assistance from a real estate agent, a property management company, friends or online apps such as Zillow or Redfin.
The study asked E1 to E5 service members to identify the most important factors for making housing choices. The highest response for “most important” was the quality of the housing in terms of safety and cleanliness. The next most important factor was the cost of housing. Housing that accepted pets was also considered important.
The study noted that many communities around JBLM lack any comprehensive planning goals or policies associated with JBLM even though many recognize the importance JBLM has on the local economy. The study stressed that it is extremely important for communities to coordinate and plan with JBLM and that communities should consider adopting housing goals and policies that show specific support and acknowledgement of the JBLM service members.
The study also concluded that the type of future housing developed is important because housing products priced within the BAH for service members are similar to what is considered “entry-level” housing, or “missing middle” housing. This includes small lot single-family detached homes, duplexes, triplexes and accessory dwelling units. There should be a recognition that more entry-level housing inventory is needed across the region.
The Thurston Chamber of Commerce is pleased to be part of SSMCP and joins the other jurisdictions such as the cities of Lakewood, Lacey, Dupont, Yelm and Thurston and Pierce counties to provide regional leadership to bridge our military and civilian communities. Increasing entry-level housing needs to be a top priority for all levels of Government in the region. The SSMCP study provides welcomed insight and analysis to the public policy discussion.
