A local organization was one of a handful of recipients late last month to win state funding as part of a push to create affordable homeownership opportunities in Washington.

The Washington State Department of Commerce announced Jan. 23 that the Raymond-based Willapa Community Development Association (WCDA) had been awarded $700,000 through the state’s Housing Trust Fund Homeownership program. In all, 17 projects across the state received $17.95 million to support homeownership opportunities for 168 low-income households.

“Homeownership is deeply personal. For many, it’s the biggest investment they’ll ever make,” said Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn in a news release. “We hope this funding not only strengthens families but also empowers communities across Washington state to thrive and build lasting success.”

According to WCDA co-founder Rebecca Chaffee, the $700,000 grant will go toward providing residents with down payment assistance when purchasing a home. This aid will be in the form of a no-interest deferred loan that must be repaid if the home is sold or refinanced. The loan amount will vary depending on the need.

Borrowers must have an income below the county median, Chaffee added, as well as be approved for a loan by a primary lender and complete a homebuyer education and housing counseling class. The WCDA plans to partner with several local organizations to manage the program.

“We have not yet received a grant contract and so we don’t yet know all of the grant requirements,” Chaffee said. “Once we have an executed grant contract and partnership agreements in place, we will launch an outreach campaign to inform people of this opportunity.”

Some 50 applications were submitted during this round of funding requesting $93.4 million through Commerce’s homeownership program, meaning WCDA was among the roughly one-third of applicants to ultimately have their request approved. Other statewide recipients included Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities and the Chehalis Tribe.

Funding for the homeownership program comes via Washington’s capital budget, which assists low-income households in making homeownership a reality through various means — including down payment assistance. Homes funded through Commerce may only be sold or resold to households with incomes — adjusted by size — of less than 80% of the area median income in urban locations and 100% of the area median income for rural locations, for a minimum of 25 years.