Message from Traci: We Don't Give Up
From left, Manor Management president Greg Franks, Mid-Columbia Manor president Roy Brannam, and Smith Tower administrator Michelle Arevalos. Photo by Cheryl Juetten, courtesy of Northwest Labor Press.
When people ask me how the recent cuts to federal funding programs are affecting HDC and our partners, I tell them about Smith Tower and the seniors who call it home. The story of this 60-year-old housing community shows who the cuts are threatening—and how our partners are persevering amid fierce challenges.
“It’s the difference between living and not being able to live,”
The tallest building in Vancouver, Washington, Smith Tower is easily recognizable by its 15-story height as well as by its unusual circular footprint. It is named for Bill Smith, the trade union leader who spearheaded its construction in 1964. “For fifteen years, Smith, a painter by trade and Secretary/Treasurer of the Building Trades Council, had a dream, a vision, a goal,” author Wanita L. Gray wrote on the occasion of the building’s thirtieth anniversary. “He wanted retirees of trade unions to have a decent and affordable place to live.”
Smith solicited the help of allies that included local trade unions and U.S. Senators Warren G. Magnuson and Henry "Scoop" Jackson. Together, they raised $32,000 to purchase a property in downtown Vancouver and secured a HUD Section 202 loan of $1.8 million to develop it. Mid-Columbia Manor, a single-asset nonprofit corporation, formed to develop and maintain the building. Construction began in July 1964 and completed in March 1966. The 170 apartments filled quickly. “During the early months, Board members came after their regular jobs and did janitorial work because the budget didn’t provide for paid help,” Gray wrote.
Smith Tower plaque. Photo by Cheryl Juetten, courtesy of Northwest Labor Press.
Today, Smith Tower is home to about 200 seniors who live, on average, on less than $26,000 per year. A HUD subsidy contract ensures that most residents pay no more than 30% of their incomes for rent. The building is meticulously cared for by long-time property manager Manor Management (whose labors spare Smith Tower’s volunteer board from further janitorial duty!). Manor operates a comprehensive resident services program that emphasizes supporting residents to forge connections with the surrounding community. Without access to Smith Tower’s affordable rents and services, many of the property’s senior residents might be homeless. “It’s the difference between living and not being able to live,” resident Al Hase told the Associated Press in March.
This beloved community asset is showing its age after 60 years of service. Its major systems, many of which are original, are wearing out. The absence of a fire suppression system, not required at the time of construction, creates unnecessary challenges for Vancouver’s fire department and makes the building difficult to insure. HDC began working with Smith Tower’s ownership and management to plan and manage a major preservation effort in spring of 2023. The cost to keep the building operable, invest in its future, and extend and deepen its affordability commitments for 60 more years is pegged at roughly $100 million, including the value of the existing building and property.
The Smith Tower preservation team, led by Manor Management president Greg Franks, was making strong headway toward its funding goal at the end of last year. But two critical sources were yanked out of the capital stack in January, when President Trump issued an executive order declaring a freeze on billions in green retrofit funds. The sources, a $10 million loan from HUD’s Green and Resilient Retrofit (GRRP) program and a $11.5 million loan from the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), were awarded to help fund energy efficiency, seismic, and climate resiliency features that will protect residents against the effects of natural disasters and increasingly frequent extreme temperatures. Together, they represented more than 20% of the total development budget. Though one or both awards may yet be restored, their provisional loss saddled the project with a costly delay and a large budget gap.
“The funding freeze was a major setback for the preservation team. But Franks and the Smith Tower board did not back down.”
The funding freeze was a major setback for the preservation team. But Franks and the Smith Tower board did not back down. With support from U.S. Senator Patty Murray, the City of Vancouver, HDC, and others, they fought to restore the federal loans while seeking alternative sources of capital from national, state, and local funders to fill the gap. Additional state and municipal funds committed this spring have put the project back on track toward a hoped-for construction start in spring 2026.
Unquestionably, the Trump administration’s back-peddling on federal commitments has created added costs and headaches for those who work to ensure that our communities’ vulnerable residents have access to stable, affordable housing. Funding freezes, funding cuts, and uncertainty about the future of the economy are creating existential threats for affordable housing providers and the residents who count on them. At the same time, the affordable housing community is strong.
Like the visionary for whom Smith Tower is named and his backers, Franks and the Smith Tower board have shown unrelenting determination to push the preservation effort forward. Their sense of purpose is inspiring, but it is not unique. Every day, my colleagues and I at HDC have the privilege to work with housing leaders who pursue their missions and goals in the face of immense challenges. This community is made up of leaders who are brave, smart, committed, and united. And we don’t give up.