OPAL Community Land Trust

In response to the COVID-19 closures, Orcas Island Community Foundation has created an emergency fund to help people while they are out of work. OPAL is partnering with OICF and San Juan County to distribute emergency housing assistance to help people cover their rent or mortgage during the shutdown.

OPAL Community Land Trust is working to maintain the character, vibrancy and diversity of the Orcas Island community by answering the ongoing need for permanently affordable housing.

Our work helps bridge the gap between the island’s high property values and the modest incomes of many who live and work here – people who are vital to our quality of life and our community’s well-being.

OPAL’s efforts make a difference on many levels:

Working families, earning island incomes, have the opportunity to put down roots and thrive. Meet two families in this brief video.
Children can grow up in stable, safe, healthy homes and supportive neighborhoods. (Currently 10% of Orcas Island’s school-age children live in OPAL homes.)

Our island community has access to housing that is affordable to teachers, healthcare providers, retail and restaurant employees, office staff, small business owners, people in the building trades. These residents provide essential services and contribute to a healthy economy.

OPAL serves families, singles, seniors and the disabled, helping our island remain balanced and whole – with young and old, working and retired, and a wide range of incomes. (OPAL households currently represent nearly 5% of estimated full-time residences on Orcas.)

OPAL projects attract millions of dollars in grants, provide jobs for island workers and support local businesses.
Because OPAL housing remains permanently affordable, the public and private dollars invested are protected in perpetuity. It is a community asset that will benefit Orcas islanders for generations.