The cost of Vashon rental housing has climbed in recent years while typical island wages have not kept up, creating challenges for many, including local employees and employers.

On Vashon, a long-term planning process has been underway since March, and several of those involved have said they would like to see more affordable housing on the island, particularly to serve the island’s work force. Just how to do that has created controversy, as people weigh complexities, ranging from King County codes and limited funds for affordable housing, to individual beliefs about appropriate development on a quiet island. Water — which has influenced human communities since ancient times and is limited on the island — is also playing a significant role. Meanwhile, conversations with a variety of island employers and workers reveal a story of relatively low wages and scarce affordable rental housing available, with few expectations that the trend will reverse on its own.

Speaking to the situation last week, Jim Marsh, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, noted that Vashon has a small commercial base with many family-owned businesses. It can take time for the owners to make a livable wage for themselves, he said, and those who add employees often do so slowly, initially hiring to fill in when they as owners cannot be present. He added that businesses with five full-time employees are big enough to rank in the top 10 percent of employers on the island. Given that picture, and the small number of island residents to support the local economy, island wages tend to be low.

“You are not looking at large salaries and benefits. It is employment, but it is not a good day-to-day, $60,000 a year job. … It is not a wage one wage-earner can support a family on,” he said.

In sharp contrast to wages, Vashon rents have increased significantly in recent years. At one point last week, Craigslist Vashon rental listings included, at the low end, two two-bedroom apartments at $1,200 and $1,500 per month. Two- and three-bedroom houses were listed between $2,400 and $3,200, out of range for those earning modest wages.

Some of the Vashon’s social service providers say they are seeing the effects of high island rents. Emma Amiad, of the Interfaith Council to Prevent Homelessness, said that organization provided nearly $36,000 in rental assistance last year, nearly half its budget. Most of the help went to people who needed rental assistance after missing work because of illness or some other situation that kept them from their jobs.

At Vashon HouseHold, Executive Director Chris Szala said that agency, which provides affordable housing for seniors, people who are disabled and islanders with low incomes, has a rolling waiting list 60 people deep. Openings are very rare, he said. The waiting list just for the Eernisse Apartments, which houses both low-income and very low-income islanders, is 25 deep, he added, and had just one opening last year.

Vashon is not alone in its affordable housing challenges. In fact, Washington is the 10th most expensive state in the country for rental housing, and King and Snohomish counties are the highest-priced counties in the state, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. In Washington, a minimum-wage worker would have to work 78 hours per week to afford fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment and not pay more than 30 percent of income to housing costs, the coalition states. To afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent — $1,203 per month — that person would have to earn $23.13 per hour. In King County, the picture worsens. To afford the fair market rent of $1,523 for a two-bedroom apartment, a renter would have to earn $29.29 per hour, or $60,920.

Many island wages are far less than those numbers, not only at small business, but larger ones as well. Vashon Community Care (VCC) with 84 employees, is one of Vashon’s biggest employers, though just 40 percent of its employees live on-island. The remaining 60 percent commute, primarily from Kitsap County, said Administrator Holly Shepherd. VCC pays the ferry fares for those employees: $8,000 per month, a substantial sum for the nonprofit organization. Shepherd noted that just a few years ago, the staffing numbers were reversed, with 60 percent of the employees coming from the island. She would prefer to employ more on-island people, she stressed.

“Not only is that good to do no matter what service you are providing, but particularly when you are providing direct health care, it is always better provided by neighbors and friends, people who you know and who know you,” she said.

Additionally, more on-island staff would be beneficial for emergency preparedness reasons, she noted. Even weather-related events that inhibit travel, such as snow days, put more stress on the facility and the employees who live on the island. Moreover, she said, she would like to see the wages VCC pays to staff remain on the island.

“We send a lot of those dollars off the island to be spent in Kitsap County,” she said.

At VCC, hourly pay begins at just above $11 and goes up from there. CNAs’ hourly wages are in the mid-teens, while other salaries, such as those for RNs, are in the $25 per hour range. Just a small percentage of the staff earns more than that, Shepherd said.

Some staff members have indicated they would move here if they could afford to, she added, but she does not know how high that number is, as where people live is complex and includes other family members’ needs, such as jobs and school. And young people may also not feel pulled to live on rural Vashon.

“Is the island atmosphere for people in their 20s and 30s, is this the lifestyle they want?” she asked.

At Sawbones, the company’s 175 employees live mostly on-island, with only 15 commuting, according to co-founder Foss Miller. Entry-level pay begins slightly higher than Seattle’s minimum wage, he added.

“Housing is a big issue for us,” Miller said. “We have already reached out to (VashonHousehold) about the possibility of helping build something.”

Miller added that the company has had people who accepted a job there and wanted to remain but could not find a place to live. Out of options, they quit and moved elsewhere.

He noted that the housing issue is complex, with a myriad of obstacles to development, including water and county code restrictions. He also indicated he believes some islanders’ preferences are at work in the current conversation about housing.

“There seems to be a lot of momentum to try to stop change,” he said, adding that many people seem to want to keep the island the way it is.

“You can see their point of view and not wanting an apartment building next to their farm that has been there 20 years,” he said. “Who is to say who is right or wrong?”

He added that he believes the answer boils down to what the island wants: Vashon as a privileged community or a community that is economically diverse.

“From our point of view, The Bone Factory would love see more affordable housing, so our employees would not have to spend their entire salary for a place to eat and sleep,” he said.

At Thriftway, 17 to 18 percent of the store’s 115 employees are currently affected by the housing picture, said Tim Marsh, the manager in charge of human relations.

“We have several people in the last six months who have moved to Tacoma, and we also have people who have been scrambling to live with other people or get people to live with them,” he said.

He noted the issue is worse now than in the past, and store officials are paying attention.

“We are quite aware of it,” he said, adding, “Talking to the younger people and seeing what they are paying for rent, it blows me away.”

Store employees are unionized, and starting wages begin at 10 cents above minimum wage — or currently $11.10 per hour.

At the much smaller Snapdragon, entry level workers start out at $12 an hour plus a split of the tip jar, bringing them to $13 or $14 per hour. The highest paid people earn $18 an hour plus tips. Co-owner Adam Cone says housing “absolutely is” an issue for the restaurant’s 18 employees.

Staff members range between the ages of 18 and 32, Cone said, and if they are from the island, many live with family in other kinds of family housing. If not, they share housing, which Cone says is getting harder and harder to find — as are apartments.

“There is an unfortunate lack of apartments that appeal to anyone. Nor are they cheap,” he said.

Cone has operated a business for 10 years on Vashon, and the housing picture was much better when he started. Now, he said, finding a good housing situation for those earning island wages often requires a combination of being “lucky, careful and clever.” He added that he sees the island trending strongly toward a more affluent environment.

“You lose a lot,” he said. “It changes the community.”

Affordable housing forum

King County will host a forum about affordable housing at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at McMurray. A range of housing issues will be discussed, including the proposals the Community Advisory Group recently voted on to increase density for affordable housing.