Vashon HouseHold, a local organization that has long worked to preserve, develop, manage and steward affordable housing, has a new, full-time executive director.

Now about one month into the new job, Jason Johnson, a housing and social services advocate who has worked in both public and non-profit sectors in the Pacific Northwest, said that he is excited to lead the nonprofit organization.

One of his most important immediate tasks, he said, is to listen, learn and engage with the broader Vashon community, in order to integrate the work of VashonHold with other island organizations and make it more responsive as Vashon’s needs for affordable housing increase.

Johnson said that in just the past few weeks, he has been able to meet with many islanders, both in group settings and in one-on-one meetings, who are deeply engaged in the issue of affordable housing.

Explaining that his predecessor at Vashon HouseHold, former executive director Chris Szala, had long held his position on only a part-time basis, Johnson said his full-time status will provide him with more capacity for this kind of community outreach.

“We’re not going to be able to offer more affordability if we don’t have the community’s support, and that support comes through developing relationships,” he said.

Johnson, a licensed social worker, is the former director of the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department and former planner with the City of Kent’s Housing and Human Services Division. He also has a long tenure in the non-profit sector managing housing programs that help seniors, families, and people living with terminal illnesses or permanent disabilities to maintain housing stability.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, he moved to Seattle in 1997 and currently resides with his husband, Rob, in West Seattle.

Christy Clement, who is board president of Vashon HouseHold, said the board was “ecstatic” about the arrival of Johnson to the organization and the island.

“His extensive background in affordable housing and as a leader of both non-profit and public service organizations will help grow Vashon HouseHold so we can better serve the critical need for affordable housing on our island,” she said.

Johnson tasked with portfolio of projects

Johnson hailed the work and accomplishments of Vashon HouseHold, which was founded by a small group of volunteers and established as a nonprofit organization in 1990.

Since that time, the organization has grown to support more than 200 island residents, with 40 additional units currently in development.

Its properties include three three homeownership sites — Vashon CoHousing, Roseballen Community Land Trust, and Sunflower. The organization’s rental properties are J.G. Commons, Eernisse Apartments, Charter House and Mukai Apartments.

As executive director, Johnson hopes to also soon oversee the construction of Island Center Homes, a new complex of five buildings to be erected at the corner of SW 188th St. and Vashon Hwy., which will house 40 people. The project is designed for islanders who are senior veterans or who have experienced mental illness or homelessness.

The complex, originally set to open in the spring of 2022, has been delayed due to staff limitations at the King County Permits Office, as well as soaring prices for some building materials.

However, King County now seems closer to wrapping up the permitting process, Johnson said, adding that he hopes to see shovels in the ground to start building Island Center Homes by sometime this summer.

He said he is grateful that Szala, the organization’s former executive director, will continue to work with him through June, to bring him up to speed on this and other projects.

Johnson will also oversee upcoming renovations to Charter House that include a new roof, foundation vapor sealing and insulation, replacement of the outdoor stairs and walkways, new stairs to individual units, paint, creating a fully ADA-compliant unit, new air and water heating, new bathroom hardware, and other needed repairs.

The renovations were funded by a grant of $860,000 from the Washington Department of Commerce Housing Finance Unit.

Vashon HouseHold to develop home-sharing program

In his new role as Vashon HouseHold’s director, Johnson is also eager to think outside the box to find ways to create affordable housing that isn’t necessarily tied to the construction or management of more buildings.

To that end, he hopes to soon launch a home-sharing program on Vashon.

“We cannot only build affordable housing to meet the current need,” Johnson said, in a written description of the program. “We have to be creative, look to regional models that are seeing success, and listen to the Vashon community about what else might work here on the island.”

Home sharing is a simple concept that matches home providers — both renters and owners — with people who need housing. As Johnson describes it, the program can also be mutually helpful in providing assistance with household chores and offer social, connective support to people living alone.

Johnson said that a home-sharing program on Vashon would not be a “silver bullet,” but rather, one more tool to expand the island’s limited housing market.

Soon, he hopes to hire a program coordinator to manage the program, with Vashon HouseHold serving as a matchmaker to facilitate shared housing between those who have additional dwelling units (ADUs) or extra space in their houses and those in need of affordable living space and companionship.

Currently, VashonHouseHold has created a short service, aimed at gaining more insight into how the program could work on Vashon.

To take the confidential survey, visit vashonhousehold/survey.

No word on Vashon Community Care plans

Johnson would not comment on whether Vashon HouseHold was still in the mix for assuming a future role in the re-development of the Vashon Community Care (VCC) building on Vashon.

VCC closed last year, after its nonprofit owner, Transforming Age, announced that the operation of the long-term care facility was no longer sustainable.

In April, Transforming Age’s president and CEO, Torsten Hirche, told The Beachcomber that his organization has now signed nonbinding exploratory agreements with multiple entities seeking to use or purchase the building. Hirche declined to name any of the parties to the agreements, saying only that Transforming Age would continue to support collaborative efforts as well as singular entities interested in the building.

Johnson also declined to comment on the Vashon HouseHold’s current interest in VCC, other than to say Vashon HouseHold would always seek opportunities to create affordable housing on Vashon, and “to be at the table and have the resources to make that happen.”

To find out more about the work of Vashon HouseHold and complete its survey about home-sharing, visit vashonhousehold.org.