A local man has teamed up with the Downtown Action to Save Housing (DASH) to get public feedback and information to help problem-solve the city’s affordable housing issues.

“Part of my job had always been to figure out how to make things happen,” said resident, retired engineer and Downtown Bellevue Residents Association co-chair Dwight Schrag. “This is really something I think is worthy of spending time on, though it’s a whole new world for me.

Schrag and Alicia Campo, associate executive director of DASH, have been gathering more information on affordable housing and what residents are really looking for.

They see a great deal of opportunity, especially when it comes to awareness around the issue of affordable housing.

“When we began to inform ourselves about what affordable housing means, it surprised us all,” Schrag said.“I don’t think that people know what’s going on with housing, they probably think that it’s on the government to solve this.… This is the time to engage.”

Despite the vast amount of construction underway in Downtown Bellevue, “affordable” housing options remain scarce, not only for low-income families, but also middle-class families.

In fact, 62 percent of the housing allocated through DASH is for households in the 50- to 60-percent wage percentile, Campo said. The remaining clientele DASH serves are lower-income households, generally in the 30-40 percent wage percentile.

“At every property, our vacancy is very minimal. We have lists of people waiting,” said Campo. “Affordable housing isn’t just about low-income families – It’s about firefighters, teachers, city employees, etc.”

Those who can’t find affordable housing in Downtown Bellevue are often forced to move outside of Bellevue, lengthening their commute, raising their transportation costs, clogging the roadways and causing stress.

But as they met with city officials, the residents association found that the city’s Planning Department will be launching a “Housing Strategy Plan” to begin addressing affordable housing issues and growing needs.

Seeing the fortuitous timing, the association began to organize a Q&A panel with representatives from the city, DASH, Imagine Housing, the King County Housing Authority, the Low Income Housing Institute, The Sophia Way and the YMCA.

“Creating affordable housing is definitely a lot about partnerships. This is a great place to start the conversation on the Eastside,” said Campo.

Through the Q&A discussion and an attendee questionnaire, the residents association is looking to get feedback from the Downtown Bellevue community about what it wants from affordable housing – how it want it to look, the amenities and how it will fit into the neighborhood.

All of the information it gathers will be turned over to the city to assist with the housing strategy plan.

At this time, the association’s forum is focusing on Downtown Bellevue, but is asking residents of other neighborhoods to attend. If all goes well, Schrag and Campo said they could see this panel being replicated in other neighborhoods throughout Bellevue.