PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is dedicating $2 million in behavioral health taxes to help fund a 36-unit housing facility for individuals with behavioral health challenges.
The three Clallam County commissioners unanimously authorized the expenditure on Tuesday for Peninsula Behavioral Health’s (PBH’s) project, North View, which will be located at Second and Oak streets in Port Angeles.
Those funds will be taken from the chemical dependency/mental health fund reserve, which is funded through a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax known as the “behavioral health tax.”
Those funds can only be used for programs for substance use, mental health services and therapeutic courses, according to the resolution.
“We understand that it is difficult to manage any chronic health condition if you don’t have safe and stable housing,” PBH Development Director Tracy Sheldon wrote in an email interview. “Tenants can reside at North View for as long as they need while they meet income requirements.”
North View will house between 40 to 60 people, according to prior reporting, and will cost about $12.7 million.
It is estimated that each unit will cost about $354,000.
One factor for the price tag is the county’s prevailing wage standards. Sheldon said the prevailing wage for a journeyman carpenter is $74.96 per hour in Clallam County compared with $36.44 in King County, and plumbers are $60.50 per hour in Clallam County compared with $45.50 in King County.
Shipping materials also has driven up the costs, given Port Angeles’ distance outside the Interstate 5 corridor, Sheldon said.
Another factor is the Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard (ESDS), required for any affordable housing project that receives capital funds through the state Housing Trust Fund program. The ESDS requires the building to have high-efficiency heat pumps as well as broadband internet, Sheldon said.
The newly updated energy code also has resulted in higher anticipated costs than past projects, Sheldon said. The code requires highly efficient air conditioning, an electric vehicle charger and rooftop solar panels.
North View will have four two-bedroom units, 25 one-bedroom units and seven studios. Four of the one-bedroom units and one of the studios will be ADA accessible.
Residents will be required to pay rent, although PBH has not yet established cost.
Wendy Sisk, PBH chief executive officer, said the organization will require every North View resident to sign a policy that requires no drugs or alcohol.
However, she said PBH recognizes that relapses often happen during recovery and will intervene and offer support if relapse occurs.
“Housing law does not allow you to evict someone just for relapse or for using substances,” she said. “We’ve been very successful with our other residents in terms of helping, if they’ve strayed from their path of recovery, getting back on their path of recovery.”
The building also will include a community room, a central laundry room, a dog wash sink, indoor bicycle storage and two rooftop terraces.
The rooftop terraces are so residents can access outdoor areas, since the construction of North View will leave limited outdoor space, Sheldon said.
The project is estimated to be completed by December 2025.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
