The Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) is a creation of state law, which allows cities and counties to form them. The City Council of Tacoma did just that by resolution on August 16, 1940, forming the Housing Authority of the City of Tacoma (THA). The resolution states that the Housing Authority formed to address a “shortage of safe and sanitary dwellings accommodation in the City of Tacoma, Washington available to persons of low-income at rentals they can afford.” By this action, the City of Tacoma sought to participate in the recently created federal housing programs. Within two years, however, the City's housing needs sharpened further for a very different reason.

World War II created an overwhelming demand for rental housing on the West Coast. Members of the military and their families, war workers and their families, and others migrated to the West Coast from across the nation. Along with Seattle, Portland and other West Coast cities with ports, military bases and shipbuilding, Tacoma faced an immediate and serious shortage of housing for these newcomers. In response, the federal government commissioned the design and speedy construction of large scale housing developments. On May 4, 1942, THA accepted the federal commission and named Salishan in East Tacoma as the site for the construction of 2,000 units. The history of THA, from its beginning to the present, is very much the history of Salishan.

Many of the Salishan units were built as temporary structures to last the War. THA, in coordinated efforts with the City of Tacoma and the military, provided a total of 3,723 dwelling units for individuals and families until the War ended in 1945, and for a brief period of time afterward.

After the War, the need and role for this housing changed. It first served to house returning war veterans and their families. In the years following, THA transferred much of the housing to private interests or to other public agencies for other uses. For example, it cleared and conveyed about 50 acres of Salishan to the Metropolitan Parks District, which owns it to this day. Of the original Salishan community, THA retained nearly 900 units on 188 acres for use as a public housing community to fulfill THA's original mission of serving the housing needs of low-income households in the City of Tacoma.

Over the years, Salishan has been an important source of affordable housing in the City. It has also been the first Tacoma home for generations of new City residents, many of them arriving from other nations. Salishan has long been distinguished by a resident population that is wonderfully diverse by race, ethnicity, age, national origin, language, and abilities.

Yet, by the 1990s, Salishan was worn out. The dwelling units, built in haste to address a war time emergency, had probably outlived the useful lifespan their builders had anticipated. In the intervening years, federal housing programs had never provided enough money for adequate maintenance. Its sewer system, electrical distribution system, and water delivery systems were failing.

In response, THA sought and received a $ 35 million HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the demolition and rebuilding of the entire Salishan community. THA broke ground on this effort in 2003. It will finish in stages, with completion to occur sometime in 2011 or so, depending on how long it takes to assemble the financing. The first families began returning in late 2004. When completed, new Salishan will have about 1,270 dwelling units, including about 350 single family homes for sale. It will also have a new infrastructure, including an innovative system of bioinfiltration swales, a new medical-dental clinic and a new education center. The entire effort will cost about $ 200 million. It will be the largest residential development in the history of the City, except perhaps for Salishan's initial construction.

Until the mid-1960s, Salishan comprised the only dwelling units in THA's portfolio. THA has grown since then. Today, it owns approximately 800 other units throughout the City. These include seven high rise apartment buildings for low-income seniors and disabled persons, and five family communities. THA continues its efforts today to increase and diversify its portfolio of properties.

In addition to renting its own housing for low-income households, THA also has programs that help families rent housing on the private rental market. The HUD Section 23 Leased Housing Program was the first of these programs. This program authorized THA to lease houses and apartments in Tacoma from private owners. THA then sub-leased those dwelling units to eligible applicants. HUD began phasing out Section 23 in the mid 1970's and converted it to a program that is today called the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). This program pays a portion of the rent directly to landlords on behalf of participating households. Today, the Housing Choice Voucher Program is the national government's primary housing assistance program for very low-income families. In Tacoma, it serves over 3,500 households by helping them afford their rent and brings about $ 25 million per year into the City in the form of rent payments to private landlords. A smaller part of the same program also helps first time home buyers pay their mortgage on a home purchase.

Altogether, Tacoma Housing Authority provides housing or housing assistance to over 12,000 individuals, which represents 6% of the population of the City of Tacoma.

THA also provides or arranges for social services to households participating in its housing programs. These services help seniors, disabled persons and others succeed as tenants. They also help families succeed as parents, students and wage earners in the hope, and expectation, that they will become less dependent on subsidized housing.

THA is also changing. It has traditionally relied on federal dollars. Federal housing and service dollars for low-income persons, however, are diminishing. THA now uses an array of funding sources. Salishan is an example. Of its $200 million cost, most of it will come from private sources. THA is also seeking to diversify the type of property it builds and manages to include more mixed-income and mixed-use developments. THA's challenge is to find ways amid these changes to remain focused on its social justice mission of serving the community's neediest persons and families.