City Opens Lodging Tax Grant Application For 2026 Tourism Events And Programs (Photo) -07/28/25

City And County Funding Agreement Advances Bridge Shelter Project -07/16/25

Vancouver, Wash. – The Vancouver City Council and the Clark County Council both voted to authorize the signing of an interlocal agreement that will allocate $2.1 million to the City’s project to provide shelter and services to residents experiencing homelessness at the Bridge Shelter, which will open in 2026 at 5313 N.E. 94^th Ave. The votes took place on July 7 and July 15, respectively.

 

“This agreement reflects what is possible when we come together across jurisdictions to respond to our community’s most urgent needs,” said City Manager Lon Pluckhahn. “I am grateful to Clark County for their partnership and shared dedication to addressing the crisis of homelessness in our community.” 

 

“The County Council and staff appreciate the opportunity to partner with the City on this project and look forward to other opportunities in the future to support our community,” said County Manager Kathleen Otto.

 

The funding is made possible from revenue collected from the sales and use tax for chemical dependency or mental health treatment services or therapeutic courts collected by Clark County under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 82.14.460. The funds will be used to support capital costs related to the construction of the Bridge Shelter.

 

As part of the interlocal agreement, up to 30% of the shelter beds will be reserved for eligible Clark County residents from outside Vancouver. These residents will have access to the shelter for the first four years of its operation, and as space is available in successive years.

 

The Bridge Shelter is being designed to provide a low-barrier, trauma-informed, 24/7 shelter with integrated wraparound services such as mental health care, substance use treatment, peer support, and pathways to safe, stable, and sustainable housing.

 

The City declared an emergency related to homelessness in 2023 to accelerate the City’s work to address the crisis and the impacts on both the unhoused and housed.

 

 

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Vancouver’s Rental Registration Program To Improve Quality, Safety Of Rental Housing (Photo) -07/15/25

Vancouver, Wash. – At Monday’s regular Council Meeting, City Council adopted the Rental Registration Program ordinance to improve the quality and safety of rental housing in Vancouver.

 

“The program offers wide-ranging benefits for the entire community. Tenants will gain safer, more habitable homes, with clearer channels for repairs and relocation assistance when needed. Landlords will have better access to educational resources and guidance, making compliance easier and more transparent,” said Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle. “This program reflects our commitment to tenant well-being and responsible rental property ownership.”

 

Starting January 2026, all long-term rental property owners will be required to register their units each year and pay a $30 per-unit fee. This fee will be waived for the first year for units registered within the first 90 days of the program launch. Rental registration will require submission of unit-level data, such as address, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, year built, and whether the unit is income-restricted. Inspections will begin in mid to late 2027 after the registration system is established and shaped with community input.

 

The ordinance also establishes a tenant relocation fund to help lower-income households move from uninhabitable units. Certain types of housing, such as short-term rentals, shelters, hospitals and owner-occupied units, are exempt from the requirements, and fee waivers are available for qualifying income-restricted properties.

 

The City will spend the next several months preparing for the new rental registration program. This work includes creating easy-to-follow instructions, setting up a simple online registration system, and reaching out to known landlords and property managers. The City will work with community members to design a fair and efficient inspection process. The City is rolling out the program in phases—first focusing on building a full list of rental properties and funding support for tenants, followed by regular inspections to ensure habitability standards.

 

Once launched, the program will provide more complete and accurate rental housing data, which will inform targeted housing policy, improve communication with property owners, and support fast assistance with public health or safety concerns.

 

Preserving quality rental housing through registration and inspections has been a community priority in Vancouver, identified in multiple housing plans since 2016. Development of this program began in early 2024 with a community stakeholder workgroup that included housing providers, property management companies, tenants, legal experts, rental housing associations and housing advocates.

 

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