By Christmas, Theresa Newman must find a new place to live.

The question is: Where?

Newman’s neatly appointed three-bedroom apartment, with walls of Northwest coastal carvings and photos of her children, looks so established that it’s hard to imagine she and her daughters will soon leave.

The single mother of high-school-age twins, like other families in the 10-apartment Islandhome on Knechtel Way, knew when she moved in that her stay in the “transitional” housing project would be limited to two years.

But with her stay almost up, there are few other federally subsidized “Section 8” rentals on Bainbridge to move to.

“I have two quarters left to finish my (bachelor’s degree),” said Newman, who studies at Antioch University in Seattle, “and the girls – they’re very much a part of this community.”

Newman herself contributes to island life. The Gabrielino-Tonga native, who was a dental technician for 10 years and worked for Canada’s Squamish First Nation, now volunteers in Bainbridge public schools.

Even after a two-year stay at Islandhome, and a job placement rate of 80 percent, a family’s financial prospects may not have improved enough to afford Bainbridge rents.

While they may still qualify for a federal housing subsidy, families may leave Islandhome only to exit the island community as well.

“People have their kids in school here, they’ve built a whole support structure here,” said Bill Reddy, director of the Housing Resources Board. “It doesn’t make sense to have to start all over again.”

In transition

Islandhome was developed a decade ago by the Housing Resources Board. Located next to Helpline House on Knechtel Way, Islandhome includes six 2-bedroom and four 3-bedroom apartments.

The project was conceived as “transitional” housing, to give families that had fallen into financial straits or other difficulties a chance to get back on their feet.

For a decade, in conjunction with Helpline and other local social service agencies, it has provided about 50 families with a home, and more.

Kelley West, a Helpline House case manager who helps administer Islandhome, said that once basic needs for shelter and safety are met, the focus turns to long-term goals that can keep a family stable after they “graduate” to other housing.

Helpline offers family counseling and guidance in education and career planning, financial counseling and debt resolution.

Islandhome residents, in turn, have formed a tenants’ association to help manage the rental units and set guidelines for those living there.

Tenants support each other in less structured ways too, Newman says. Neighbors recently helped her daughters plan a surprise birthday party.

It’s frustrating, all agree, to see residents forced to leave the support network they have worked to establish in Islandhome and in the larger community.

“It’s almost another form of discrimination,” Newman said.

Federal housing subsidies can also be applied to private rentals once a family leaves Islandhome. But contacting prospective landlords and explaining one’s Section 8 status can be daunting.

“When you become Section 8-sanctioned, you have to approach landlords and see if you can get them interested,” Newman said. “They have to enroll – and why should they?”

In fact, as soon as a family is accepted into Islandhome, HRB begins to look for the family’s next housing opportunity.

“But it’s pure luck if we find something on Bainbridge,” Reddy said.

Housing options for Section 8 recipients are limited on Bainbridge, where there are just 150 subsidized rental units; Kitsap has about 1,110. The island’s four subsidized 3-bedroom units – often the only option for families with children – are at Islandhome, where applicants must wait from three to five years for placement.

One reason for the dearth of subsidized housing here is high rent. Federal guidelines base an individual’s rent subsidy on Kitsap County’s median, around $1,000 for a three-bedroom apartment.

But the island’s higher property values living make Bainbridge rentals worth about $1 per square foot – or, $1,600 for 1,600 square feet of space.

Without a source of funding to close the gap, private landlords may lose money on a Section 8 rental.

“Where Section 8 exists on Bainbridge,” Reddy said, “it exists because of the goodwill of owners who absorb the difference.

“We’ve just had a family move into an island rental because of the grace of an island family, who decided to bring Section 8 to the property they have. It does happen, occasionally.”

The stigma

Besides the prospect of paperwork, Section 8 carries a social stigma, Newman and other tenants say, that makes some prospective landlords shy away.

Islandhome tenant Sally Thomas says she had negative preconceptions about Section 8 renters – until she became one herself six months ago.

A consultant for local government, Thomas had been married 20 years and owned her own home. But, the combination of a divorce and economic bad times sent Thomas and her 9-year-old daughter, Keazia into a personal budget crisis.

She lost her house, and couldn’t make enough to pay rent.

“I didn’t want to come (to Islandhome),” Thomas said. “I cried and cried.”

But Thomas, who had often driven other people to the food bank, found her fellow tenants a surprisingly plucky bunch.

“I like and respect everyone here,” Thomas said. “They are, each of them, working toward a goal. And both HRB and Helpline have provided massive support – much more than I could every possibly say.”

But even with a year and a half to go before she must move out, Thomas is already worrying about how to stay on the island.

“The logistics of child care, if you are a single parent commuting to Seattle and you live-off-island, are a nightmare,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t live in Kingston and get home to my child in time.

“Daycare charges you $1 per minute if you’re late. After 30 minutes, if they haven’t heard from you, they call CPS .”

For those with special needs, like Islandhome resident Jessie Robinson, the difficulties of finding a home on-island are compounded.

With just four months until her two years is up, Robinson must locate a clean and affordable apartment for herself and her 2-year-old son, a toddler diagnosed with severe asthma and allergies.

“His doctor recommends an apartment with a dishwasher, to sterilize his plates,” Robinson said. “There can’t be mold or mildew, and if a dog or cat has lived there, the place has to be cleaned incredibly thoroughly.”

Islandhome residents don’t pay for utilities, but must once they “graduate.”

For Robinson, who works as a nanny in exchange for goods and services and who plans to be an ultrasound technician, that money is hard to come by.

West said about half of Islandhome’s residents find work that can underwrite market rents.

“Not all of us who leave here walk right into high-paying jobs,” Robinson said. “Many of us are still in school or start off in low-paying jobs.”

With Helpline’s assistance, Robinson found a suitable apartment in Poulsbo. Helpline planned to pay for both her move and the deposits on her new apartment – services the organization routinely offers those graduating from Islandhome.

But Robinson’s Section 8 covered $697 of the $705 rent and the landlord wouldn’t lower the rent to make up the difference.

Despite problems facing them once they leave Islandhome, both women said they are grateful for respite from finding shelter that has meant a chance at a better life.

“I remain grateful that there are people who don’t view charity from an elitist point of view, who know that there’s no shame in not having,” Newman said. “Now I’d like to give back to this community. I want to work with children. I want to share my culture here.

“I hope that there’s a way I can.”