Of those units, approximately 22 percent are rental units and 78 percent are owner occupied. In Spokane County s small cities, towns and unincorporated areas the majority of housing units are single family homes. Twenty-eight percent of the occupied stock is rental housing. Affordability is defined as a household s ability to obtain rental or owner-occupied housing and basic utilities for no more than 30 percent of that household's income. The quality of the housing unit is described as standard or substandard.
Standard quality means that the unit is safe, structurally sound, and well maintained.
Homeless Needs Homeless persons in Spokane County are a priority for outreach and assessment. SHA maintains waiting lists for public housing and for Section 8 tenant-based certificates and vouchers. In 1999, there were 1,920 families on the public housing waiting list and 3,141 families on the waiting list for Section 8 vouchers and certificates. The public housing waiting list is comprised almost entirely of family households. There are only 140 persons on the waiting list for elderly public housing communities.