Where will you live? Before you can be effective serving in your new community, we realize that it is necessary to have all your basic needs met. Intermountain AmeriCorps, however, does not have the capacity to provide housing for 45 new members in 20 different communities. Thus it is up to each individual member to find a place that meets his or her needs in terms of cost, location, and desired living environment. On the other hand, we want to do everything we can to make the process of finding a place to live as easy as possible. Below is some basic information about the housing situation and how we hope to assist you.
Affordable housing is not easy to find, especially if you want to live by yourself. Of course, this greatly depends upon what community you live in. North Central Washington does not have large population fluctuations (as say a college town), so good places to rent that match your AmeriCorps/VISTA stipend are often hard to come by. The communities we serve are rural, which can mean affordable but sometimes limited options. Many members may find housing in neighboring communities. We strongly encourage new members to either spend some time researching where they can live before they get here or arrive early and be prepared to spend quality time looking for a place. Once orientation starts, your free time to go house hunting will be limited to nights and weekends.
On the brighter side, none of our members have ever gone homeless. They either stay with other members, stay at a motel, or rent on a short-term basis until they are able to find more suitable housing. Intermountain AmeriCorps has an amazing network of concerned individuals that won’t let you go without a place to lay your head each night. Upon arriving here it is also easier to meet other members to room with and take advantage of local resources, but once again take the time to know what you are getting into beforehand.
Here are some of the things that we have set in place in order to assist you:
- In the next section we have listed all of the subsidized housing units in the communities that we serve (note that only a few communities have subsidized housing). As an AmeriCorps member you qualify for subsidized housing. Some units are fully subsidized (monthly payments of $0-$35) and others are only partially subsidized (ex: you pay 1/3 of your income or a flat rate). As with many federal programs, the application process is slow and there are sometimes long waiting lists. If you are interested in living in subsidized housing, please take the initiative to contact the housing complex where you desire to live and ask for an application. Apply early and do follow-ups on a regular basis. If subsidized housing is not an option in your community, look into the links in the housing and apartment resources section that follow for housing leads.
- To make rent costs easier to bear, many members choose to room together. Let us know if you are interested in finding roommates, and we will put you in contact with other members who may also be seeking housing in your community.
- Very few apartments are furnished, but we are hoping to get a number of members to donate or sell some of their furniture to incoming members. There are always garage sales and several thrift stores. Generally, finding enough decent and affordable furniture is not a hard thing in this area.
Hopefully this information gives you a better perspective on the housing situation in this area and what steps you need to take in order to ensure you have a place to live. We are more than willing to assist you with any concerns or questions you may have, knowing full well that this information may not answer all of the doubts and uncertainties you may have. Finding housing will be your first real challenge as a new member, but rest assured that it will work out in the end and you will officially be living in beautiful North Central Washington! |