Rental program continues to make housing accessible to workers in the Upper Valley
When one of their rental units turns over, MEND takes the opportunity to modernize the space. This includes painting and replacing new flooring and appliances as needed.
Upper Valley MEND’s rental program was created in December 2023, when our community raised $6.8 million to purchase 31 rental units from the Marson family. The one- and two-bedroom apartments are scattered throughout the City of Leavenworth and prioritize tenants who live and work in the Upper Valley. As with all of MEND’s housing options, they are priced to give people who work in the Upper Valley the opportunity to live in the community where they work.
When MEND purchased the rental units, most were already occupied. Housing Manager Kathia Wan-Mendizabal worked with the tenants to ensure they could stay in their homes if they chose to. As regular turnover occurs, MEND modernizes the units before advertising for new tenants. This includes painting and replacing flooring and appliances as needed. In the last year, four units have been modernized as part of turnovers. In addition, MEND has replaced insulation in six buildings and the roofs of three buildings.
Meeting each housing need with dignity
Another part of apartment modernization has been installing ductless heat pumps, which eliminates the need for both baseboard heaters and window air conditioning units. Through a Chelan County PUD program, seven units have now been upgraded to ductless heat pumps at no cost to MEND. The upgrades are also energy-efficient, lowering utility costs for the tenants in the apartments.
A rental program with upgraded, safe, high-quality housing is part of MEND’s mission to meet each need with dignity, including the need for affordable housing in the Upper Valley. MEND's rental program seeks to cover the middle ground for people who may not qualify for a Housing Authority apartment because their income is too high, but who nevertheless can't afford to pay the Upper Valley's high market rates for rentals. MEND's apartments are priced between $1000 and $1500 per month.
“Every time we list a rental unit on Zillow, we receive more than 20 applications in less than a couple of days,” says Kathia. “Each application comes from a local worker or family hoping for the opportunity to live in the community where they work and raise their children. The need is real."