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April’s Grove residents are moving in

The first nine households moved into April’s Grove at the beginning of September. It was a day filled with joy, exuberance and relief. On move-in day one woman arrived at 8 a.m., because she had borrowed a friend’s van and needed to return it that morning. Two single parents now have homes with bedrooms so their kids can be with them. A number of tenants had been couch-surfing or homeless.

To read the full article from the Islands’ Sounder click here.

To read the full article from The Orcasonian click here.

OPAL’s Annual Gala moves online June 27 to June 30

In response to this year’s need for social distancing, OPAL will hold its annual benefit Gala online and expand the event to four days.

OPAL Gala2020 will begin at noon on Saturday, June 27, and end at midnight on Tuesday, June 30.

To read the full article from the Islands’ Sounder please click here.

To read the full article from Orcas Issues please click here.

Lisa Update: Keeping Islanders in Their Homes

It’s a new world, and your team at OPAL is adapting. We’re learning new ways to stay connected, new “work from home” routines, and are striving to take frequent, deep, full breaths. Speaking of which, how about we each take this moment … one big breath in … one big breath out … thanks for joining me!

A brief update:

Julie and Jeanne are meeting (virtually) with any islander who asks for help to pay the rent or mortgage on their home. Numerous state and federal actions have been announced to help people pay their bills, and we’ll assist folks in navigating those programs. In addition, thanks to generous donations to the Community Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund, OPAL will be able to make some direct payments to landlords or banks when that’s the best solution. Our top priority is to keep people in their homes.
The Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order identified exemptions for certain essential activities. Projects like April’s Grove that are providing much-needed affordable housing are considered essential. Therefore, construction will continue as long as suppliers are able to deliver. The crews working on site have adopted new protocols to keep workers healthy.

Despite the difficulties and challenges, I’m feeling grateful every day.

Grateful to live in a neighborhood where we’re looking out for one another with shared grocery, pharmacy and take-out food runs.
Grateful for your support and belief that housing is a basic human need.
Grateful that our island community is pulling together to make it through this challenge.

Stay well, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about OPAL’s activities.

From my home to yours,

Lisa

OPAL’s Response to COVID-19

It is better to light a tiny candle, than to rage at the darkness.

– Chinese Proverb

The COVID-19 virus is changing our lives. Your team at OPAL is doing our best to be part of a supportive response. Here’s a quick update to let you know what we are doing:

OPAL is part of the Orcas Response Team, a collaborative effort of island non-profits addressing community needs. The team is meeting weekly to review needs and develop plans. One tool is a website where people can post needs and volunteer or donate goods and services. It’s an islander-to-islander system. Check it out at orcas.recovers.org.
OPAL is also part of the Community Foundation’s Recovery Fund. The Fund’s advisory panel will meet weekly to review financial needs coming from non-profit organizations and to make distributions of funds weekly. At some later date funding may be available from government sources, but the first wave of need is best served by local people.
OPAL’s role is to help any Orcas islanders who are unable to pay their mortgage or rent. We will work with each person in need to find the right solution. We’ll contact banks or landlords to see if they can delay receipt of payment. If not, we’ll make loans or forgivable payments to their landlord or bank. Our work may be eased a bit if Governor Inslee enacts a statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures based on lack of payment, but eventually rents and mortgages will need to be paid.

Donations to the Orcas Recovery Fund to help people impacted financially by loss of wages or other COVID-19 related impacts can be made through the Community Foundation here.
OPAL’s staff and trustees are continuing to work. Although our office is closed to the public, we are using the phone, video conferencing, email, etc. We are grateful for robust and reliable fiber optic internet, and grateful to live in a community with such a strong support network.

If you are able to help keep OPAL operating during this time, we welcome your support.

–Your team at OPAL

Thank You for 2019

This is my favorite picture from 2019. I’m with my two-year old granddaughter, Alice. We’re at the edge of the April’s Grove construction site where buildings are taking shape and some of the preserved trees are visible.

This picture has me think about the kids who need a healthy place to live. I believe that we borrow this place from future generations. I want to make it a better place for them. I wonder if that is one of the reasons why you support OPAL too?

While I often look toward the future, I don’t want to rush there too quickly without first expressing my gratitude for all that we accomplished together this past year.

Most of the buzz last year was about April’s Grove, the site for 45 new rental townhomes in Eastsound. In May and June the existence of the County’s new Home Fund adopted by voters in 2018 and your donations pushed the project to full funding.

We started construction in May and by the end of the year we were half way done!

All the foundations and most of the site work are in place.
3 of the 11 residential buildings are fully enclosed, wired, plumbed, and have drywall and interior paint.
Another 3 buildings are nearly fully framed.

We’ll start accepting applications from people who want to live at April’s Grove in March (there are currently 152 households who have inquired about renting). We expect tenants to move in during the fall.

And as big an accomplishment as construction at April’s Grove is, there are sixty other reasons to feel grateful about last year:

4 families purchased an existing OPAL home through resale;
2 families purchased a home that was new to OPAL in the Rosario area. These homes will remain affordable for future generations. There are now 108 OPAL ownership homes on the island;
2 individuals borrowed from the new Island Loan Fund One was able to finish building his home, and the other renovated his home so that he could provide another person with year-round housing.
52 additional individuals or couples participated in financial counseling or homebuyer education.

Thank you for helping families in their quest for a home where they can rest and get replenished. By housing our neighbors we are making Orcas Island a healthier and more resilient community.

~ Lisa Byers

Bruce Pavitt to Host Dance-a-Thon to Benefit April’s Grove

Get your dancing feet ready for an eight-hour journey through musical history.

With tracks that range from Frank Sinatra to Billie Eilish, DJ Bruce Pavitt is hosting a dance-a-thon to benefit OPAL Community Land Trust.

“This is something I have wanted to do for years, and I’ve been looking for the appropriate opportunity,” Pavitt said. “As a music fan, I am omnivorous. I appreciate music from every era and genre. This is also a way to get different generations together to enjoy music and learn more about the OPAL project.”

To read the full article in the Islands’ Sounder click here.

Special GiveOrcas Campaign for April’s Grove Set for June 29–July 8

From June 29 through July 8, the Orcas Island Community Foundation will be hosting a special online GiveOrcas campaign to benefit OPAL’s April’s Grove project of 45 new rental townhomes.

During this special GiveOrcas campaign, OICF encourages the community to become “Partners in Philanthropy” and help raise funds for affordable housing on Orcas. OICF covers all credit card fees, so 100% of your gift will go directly to support OPAL’s April’s Grove.

Between June 29 and July 8 go to www.GiveOrcas.org and help April’s Grove cross the finish line!

To read more about this campaign in the Islands’ Sounder click here.

To read more about this campaign on Orcas Issues click here.

April’s Grove Construction Begins in May; Donations Still Needed

Thanks to the voters of San Juan County who adopted a new Real Estate Excise Tax last November, a legacy contribution from Bob Henigson, and to creative problem solving by many, including staff members of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, OPAL Community Land Trust will begin construction of the 45-rental townhome project called April’s Grove in May.

To read the full article on Orcas Issues, click here.

Community Foundation Invests in Island Loan Fund

Left to right: Hilary Canty, executive director of OICF, Julie Brunner, OPAL housing manager and Jamie Cier, branch manager at Washington Federal Bank and member of the Island Loan Fund committee.

The Island Loan Fund, a new program created by OPAL Community Land Trust, makes it possible for islanders who are creditworthy, but not yet eligible for a bank loan to access construction and mortgage financing. The Orcas Island Community Foundation has become the lead investor in the second pool of funding for OPAL’s new program.

To read the full article on The Islands’ Sounder Click Here.

To read the full article on Orcas Issues Click Here.

Understanding REET

When OPAL board president Tim Fuller read the article “San Juan islanders look to REET funds as affordable housing savior” in the Journal of the San Juans, he was concerned that readers would get the wrong impression.

To read Tim’s full Letter to the Editor click here.

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