Clark County resident Anthony P. Tezzo submitted a letter to the editor urging local officials to adopt a clearer measure of homelessness: the cost of a one‑bedroom apartment compared to what a working resident earns. Tezzo points to the County Council’s recent homeless count, which the Council for the Homeless reported in May showed an 18% drop, from 1,530 people to 1,260. While he acknowledges that part of the decline reflects genuine moves from transitional housing to permanent homes, he cautions that the count also missed many people because fewer winter shelter beds were open on the night of the survey.
Housing costs outpace wages
Tezzo highlights that unsheltered families increased 21% during the same period, noting that many children are now sleeping in cars. He argues that addiction and mental illness, though serious, cannot fully explain the rise in homelessness. “West Virginia has worse drug problems than we do, and far less homelessness,” he writes, underscoring that affordable housing is the decisive factor.
Research from the University of Washington, cited by Tezzo, found that rent levels and vacancy rates predict homelessness more accurately than drug use, mental illness, poverty, or climate factors. In markets where housing is cheap, people with similar personal challenges remain housed. In Clark County, however, rapid population growth – the county’s population has nearly tripled since 1980 – has driven up land and rent prices, especially as the area became a bedroom community for Portland.
Call for a new metric
Tezzo proposes that the Clark County Council, together with the neighboring Vancouver council, adopt a single, transparent metric: the average cost of a one‑bedroom unit versus the median earnings of a working resident. He argues that “sweeps” and safe‑stay sites merely provide temporary relief and do not address the underlying affordability gap.
He also notes that seniors counted in the previous year echoed the same concerns, pointing out that fixed incomes are increasingly unable to keep pace with rising rents. “Housing built and held outside the market, the way we once built public housing, could help bridge this gap,” Tezzo suggests.
Why the metric matters
By tracking the rent‑to‑income ratio, county officials could more accurately gauge the effectiveness of homelessness‑reduction strategies. A rising ratio would signal that additional affordable‑housing initiatives are needed, while a declining ratio could validate current policies.
Tezzo’s letter reflects a growing sentiment among Clark County residents that housing policy, not solely social‑service interventions, should be at the forefront of the county’s response to homelessness. He urges the council to prioritize this metric in future reports and to consider policies that increase affordable housing supply, such as incentivizing the construction of market‑rate units that are set aside for low‑income families.
Next steps
The Clark County Council has not yet responded to Tezzo’s proposal. Residents and advocacy groups are expected to bring the issue to the upcoming council meeting, where budget allocations for housing and homelessness services will be discussed.
Original reporting: Clark County Today (Vancouver WA) — read the source article.
