PREVENTING DISPLACEMENT AND ADDRESSING RACIALLY DISPARATE IMPACTS IN PASCO

Pasco is a small city in eastern Washington with a majority Hispanic population where housing production has lagged behind rapid population growth. Lower-income households in Pasco have been disproportionately affected by displacement, overcrowding, and lack of housing options. Rents have risen to unaffordable levels while new large-lot single-family home construction does not meet the existing housing need. In response to this crisis, Pasco's Community and Economic Development Department engaged a Capstone team to develop strategies to prevent, minimize, and mitigate displacement, determine how to remediate policies with racially disparate impacts, and identify additional housing funding or financing strategies to leverage existing funding. The team conducted extensive research on nationwide and global approaches and interviewed key stakeholders to inform its policy recommendations, which will be incorporated into Pasco’s Housing Action Plan and 2026 Comprehensive Plan to guide the future of Pasco’s housing policy.