SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. December 19, 2025 – This year, San Juan County funded new construction projects, provided rental subsidies, secured emergency rental assistance, and more to address affordable housing issues in the islands. This December, the County Council took meaningful action to support affordable housing work, including approving the Development Agreement for the Argyle project, adopting the updated Five-Year Homeless Plan 2025-2030, and awarding $12,000 in grants to support cold weather sheltering.
This year, four new affordable housing projects completed construction thanks in part to over $6 million in funding from to the County’s Home Fund, helping 32 households secure affordable homes in the islands.
- Lopez Village North: A fifteen-unit affordable rental development located in Lopez Village. These fifteen units are the first phase of a multi-phase affordable housing development on a 9.8-acre site located in the heart of Lopez close to services, grocery stores, restaurants, and local medical care.
- Crayfish Way: A development of six permanently affordable homes on Lopez Island. Crayfish Way sits on a 5.5-acre site located at the north edge of Lopez Village Urban Growth Area. The project is LCLT’s first rural residential cluster on rural farm forest designated land and will be available to households making up to moderate income.
- Kidder Way: OPAL Community Land Trust’s Kidder Way project is a development of ten permanently affordable townhomes on Orcas Island. Kidder Way sits on a one-acre site located in the Eastsound Urban Growth Area. When completed, the homes will be priced to be affordable for households with low to moderate incomes.
- Forrest House: A single-family residential development on Lopez Island, the home will be sold to a moderate-income household working in the local food system.
About the Home Fund
San Juan County’s Home Fund is now in its seventh year of existence since voters approved the measure in 2018. The Home Fund contributes funding towards the creation and preservation of affordable housing funded by a Real Estate Excise tax (REET), and a 1/10th of 1% sales tax.
To date, the County has contributed over $15 million dollars in funding to 14 affordable housing projects throughout the County. These projects represent 136 units of affordable housing that have already been built or preserved, with another 65 units currently in active development. In total, the County’s Home Fund has contributed funding to 201 units of affordable housing. The County also completed $967,819 in Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) Grants for projects on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands.
“The total project costs for these local projects are estimated to be over $80 million,” said Affordable Housing Coordinator Ryan Page. “That means for every dollar the community has committed to a project, another $5 in outside grants and private funding have been brought to our community for building affordable housing.”
The County works alongside non-profit development partners on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands, without which these projects would not be possible. For more information on the Home Fund including project photos, visit www.sjchomefund.com.
Five-Year Homeless Plan
This year, San Juan County Health & Community Services convened a homeless housing task force to update the State-required Five-Year Homeless Plan. Following the Washington State Department of Commerce guidelines for 2025-2030, the updated plan provides goals, strategies, activities, performance measures, and timelines to guide the County in its efforts to eliminate homelessness. At the December 9 meeting, the County Council officially adopted the Five-Year Homeless Plan 2025-2030.
Starting in 2026, the County will begin pursuing the goals and strategies of that plan, with increased community education, conversation, and feedback opportunities.
Cold Weather Shelters
At the December 16 meeting, the County Council awarded $12,000 in grants to support cold weather shelters on Orcas and San Juan Islands and to provide hotel/motel voucher funding for households in need during cold weather events on Lopez Island.
Cold weather shelters are local, volunteer-run spaces that operate when temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit to provide a safe sleeping option to local families and individuals who lack adequate heating during inclement weather. Local resources include:
- San Juan Island: Shelter is operated by the United Way. Visit: Cold Weather Shelter - UWSJ
- Orcas Island: Shelter is operated by the Orcas Island Community Church. For the 2025-2026 season, the shelter will be open every night from Thanksgiving through the cold season. Visit: Orcas Island Community Church | Severe Weather Shelter
- Lopez Island: If you are in need of shelter on Lopez Island, contact the Lopez Island Family Resource Center: Home - Lopez Island Family Resource Center
Housing Services
This year, San Juan County launched a new program in partnership with the Community Resource Centers on each island to provide funding for housing case management. This program provided funding to the resource centers to offer client services such as:
- Housing counseling
- Housing search and placement services
- Mediation and outreach to property owners/landlords related to locating or retaining housing
- Assistance with obtaining Federal, State, and local benefits
- Developing individualized housing service plans
With funding from the County’s 1/10th of 1% Sales Tax for Affordable Housing, the Resource Centers were able to serve over 500 clients with housing services in 2025. Over 4,000 hours of staff time were funded to help provide housing stability to those who needed it in our County.
Relevant URLs:
- San Juan County Home Fund Website
- SJC Affordable Housing
- San Juan County Five Year Homeless Plan 2025-2030
- Cold Weather Shelter - UWSJ
- Orcas Island Community Church | Severe Weather Shelter
- Home - Lopez Island Family Resource Center
Contact: Ryan Page, Housing Program Coordinator, ryanp@sanjuancoutywa.gov, 360-370-0590
About San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services
San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services is responsible for community and environmental health, mental health and substance abuse programs, senior services, affordable housing projects, and more. The department has staff and offices on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1777/Health-Community-Services.
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