We will have the chance to vote for the San Juan County Homes Fund in the Nov. 6 election. You may have seen articles and letters in the Journal, seen the booth at the library fair and at other venues, calling us to vote “yes for homes,” not “yes for houses.” This is an important distinction. Many of us come to Orcas and the other islands to call it home; a place to raise children, develop a career, expand our appreciation of nature’s beauty. But a house or an apartment is a necessity in finding a home and the San Juans do not have enough housing to enable all who work here to call the islands “home.” They must spend disproportionate amounts on transportation, gas for their cars, daily trips on the ferry and time away from their families. A win for “yes for homes” in November can dramatically increase the availability of affordable housing in San Juan County and ensure that we address the lack of opportunity for working people to live here and for employers to fully staff their businesses.

My father grew up in a tar paper house in West Virginia. It was not until I was in ninth grade that my parents were able to earn and borrow enough money to buy 2 acres and build a house on the eastern slope of the Colorado Rockies. I am committed to making the opportunity for the workers of San Juan County to fulfill their dreams of affordable housing and establishing a home here; a place that many of us call paradise.

For more info, see the Yes for Homes website at yesforhomes.net/about.

Peggy Rhoads

San Juan Island