Crosscut Now: Special Reports

Near Elma, WA students and educators struggle to close the rural digital gap.

A new levee could offer protection to Grays Harbor from future climate disasters.

Surrounded by water, Grays Harbor's aging bridges provide community identity and maintenance challenges.

Seattle has consistently been one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., causing housing prices to skyrocket. Seattle City Reporter Josh Cohen asks: “Do you have to be rich to buy a house in Seattle?”

Cle Elum Realtor Kitty Wallace has sold everything from single wides to million-dollar homes. In her nearly 20 years of experience, she’s seen Kittitas County become unaffordable for many of its year-round residents. Vacation homes sell for over $1 million, a 51% increase from 2020 to 2021. But Wallace argues that affordable housing is crucial even in a luxury market.

Shavon Jones, a Seattle resident of 18 years, had always wanted to own a home. As prices increased and she became a single mother of five, her dream seemed even further out of reach. With the help of Homestead Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity, Jones was able to qualify for programs to help her own a home of her own.