Habitat for Humanity to break ground on 30-unit Whatcom Co. affordable home ownership project

Habitat for Humanity in Whatcom County, a nonprofit organization with a mission of eliminating substandard housing and building affordable homes, is preparing to break ground on a new, permanently affordable home ownership development this month.

The Mateo Meadows Community will feature 30 town houses with two-, three- and four-bedroom units along East Lincoln Street near downtown Everson in north Whatcom County.

The development will also include eight affordable rental apartments with 7,000 square feet of commercial space below.

Habitat for Humanity owns the land, and each home will be placed in a Habitat land trust, to be purchased by home buyers at an affordable rate.

Partner families purchase Habitat homes with zero percent or very low-interest mortgage payments that do not exceed 30% of their monthly income. The payments enter a revolving fund used to build future Habitat homes.

“When you’re paying zero percent, every mortgage payment that you make, it’s like putting money in the savings bank. It all goes to the principal — there’s nothing going to interest. So you’re building equity over time,” Whatcom County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director John Moon told The Herald.

The goal is for families to build a nest egg — upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars — in their homes over decades, and eventually pass that down through their family when they sell the home.

“One step at a time, we’ve done our job of ending intergenerational poverty,” Moon said.

Built for climate resilience, flooding

The homes are being built with sustainability in mind, which is critical as the development will sit within the Nooksack River floodplain.

“Yes, they are prone to a 500-year flood,” Moon said. “But we’re making them totally — not only for a flood but for other elements as well — what we’re calling ‘climate resilient’ or ‘hardened.’”

Whatcom County Habitat for Humanity Construction Director Chris van Staalduinen said they are taking precautions in the home designs, knowing they are building in the floodplain.

The finished floors of the homes will be built 2 feet above the base flood elevation to prevent water from damaging the home in the event of a flood. All electrical and mechanical wiring will also be run through an elevated area of the home to prevent needing to repair those systems due to water damage.

Staalduinen said building affordable housing is critical in Everson due to the loss of affordable housing stock as a result of the destructive flooding in 2021.

“Because of the flood, the Everson Meadows, which was the affordable housing property in Everson, has come out of the affordable housing stock. So the need for affordable housing in Everson is that much greater,” Staalduinen said.

Serving low-income families

To qualify to purchase a home in the Mateo Meadows Community, home buyers must be earning between 30% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In Whatcom County, that amounts to $67,200 for a single-person household and $76,800 for a two-person household.

Twenty-five percent of the 30 town houses will be sold to those earning 80% to 130% AMI. Income earners at this level are known as the “missing middle,” meaning they don’t qualify for standard affordability subsidies but also don’t make enough money to buy a market-rate home.

Another 25% of the homes will be reserved for very low-income families who earn between 30% and 50% AMI. The remaining 50% of the town houses will serve those making between 30% and 80% AMI.

As part of the “down payment” for the home, buyers are required to complete a minimum of 500 hours of volunteer time, known as sweat equity, with Habitat for Humanity before purchasing their home.

This means families take an active part in the construction of their own homes, as well as those of their neighbors. Sweat equity hours can also be earned by working at the Habitat Store, Habitat for Humanity’s office, or by staffing events. The volunteer hours ultimately contribute to reducing the costs of the homes.

The total cost to develop Mateo Meadows will run upward of $12 million, much of which is supported through private and public donations. With no delays in the development process, Habitat for Humanity expects the first four units of the project to be complete by the end of the year.

Since Habitat for Humanity began serving Whatcom County in 1988, the organization has built 52 homes and housed more than 188 residents.

Anyone interested in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity can email volunteer@hfhwhatcom.org or call 360-715-9170 ext. 1016.