Gov. Bob Ferguson and Commerce Dir. Joe Nguyễn have announced a fresh round of funding under the state’s Connecting Housing to Infrastructure (CHIP) program.
Nearly $15 million in grant dollars will be dispersed across housing projects in 10 Washington counties. When the dust finally settles, over 1,800 affordable housing units will have been constructed, according to the Commerce Dept.
CHIP funds underground infrastructure, water and sewer lines for example, and reimburses waived development fees – a not-so-tacit acknowledgement that housing construction costs are often, if not usually, prohibitive. CHIP projects vary widely in intent and target demographic. They range from subsidized housing for seniors to supportive housing for the chronically homeless.

Like many Washingtonians, Ferguson has housing on the brain: the topic figured prominently in his inaugural address. It is estimated that the state will need 1.1 million new homes in the next 20 years. Of those, half will need to be set aside for those earning less than half of their area’s median income.
The newest batch of CHIP awardees is noticeably concentrated in Western Washington – not surprising since income-appropriate housing is so scarce there. But certain places in NCW are being recognized for the high-need localities they are. Ellensburg, for example, has received about $830K for the conversion of the former Nites Inn motel to an affordable housing complex called Pathways.
According to the city’s website, HopeSource is converting the property, located at 1200 S. Ruby St., “into 16 one-bedroom apartments. The 4.8-acre property…will be dedicated to low-income housing, while five of those will also be dedicated to transition housing for homeless individuals in the county.”
“The site also has buildable acreage for approximately 40 additional units. The project will serve people who face the highest barrier to stable housing, who are earning at or below 60% of area median income.” Click here for more information.
The Truth About The Housing Market In America
Gallery Credit: Nick Northern