Ballots are arriving now for the critical Seattle City Council elections, and housing and homelessness are once again the top issues. Candidates often seem to agree on the rhetoric, with each proclaiming support for compassionate, accountable and effective solutions. But behind the buzzwords, voters in each district face stark choices.
Tech 4 Housing has developed two resources to help voters better understand the choices before them…
Ballots for the Seattle City Council primary election are due August 6, and housing and homelessness are again the top issues in the race. If you aren't sure what to make of the policy debates, a great place to start is our Housing Voter Forum from earlier this month. We brought in five experts on various aspects of homelessness to walk you through the real issues and policy choices.
Check out the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwf6Koj5Tuk
Read MoreThis year's Seattle City Council elections will set the tone and substance of our local politics for the next four years. No issue looms larger over the election than housing and homelessness, and on no other issue is there such a divide between candidates. If you care about these issues, then getting informed and engaged on the elections is one of the most impactful things you can do.
Over the next two weeks, Tech 4 Housing is partnering with a long list of civic organizations to put on a series of candidate forums focusing on transportation, housing and sustainability. Find your district below, then come out to the forums to learn which candidates will best support a future where housing is abundant and affordable.
In May and June, there are lots of opportunities to advocate for a more equitable, affordable, and inclusive Seattle.
Read MoreThe Washington State legislative session ended on April 28. It was a strong year for housing legislation, in no small part because of the work of dedicated advocates across the state making their voices heard in Olympia.
We saw big wins in each of our three core policy areas: legalizing housing, investing in affordability, and protecting vulnerable communities.
Read MoreWhile our last update focused on Tech 4 Housing’s statewide advocacy work in Olympia, the past few weeks have seen significant movement on local Seattle issues.
Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA): Tech 4 Housing turned out supporters for the final public hearing on MHA, which thanks to dedicated and persistent advocacy from a number of groups, is expected to pass this month after nearly four years of public process. MHA is the lynchpin of Seattle's housing strategy, and is expected to produce over 20,000 more homes over the next 20 years, including over 6,000 low-income rent-restricted units. MHA’s passage also marks a victory for the mainstream consensus that the housing crisis is fundamentally driven by a shortage of housing, and that if housing is to be affordable, we must address the policy roadblocks that are making it scarce.
Ft. Lawton: Tech 4 Housing submitted written comment and turned out supporters for the final hearing on the Ft. Lawton Redevelopment Plan, which would bring 238 affordable homes to Magnolia. For almost a decade, wealthy neighbors had successfully delayed the project with legal appeals, but the tide began turning last year when housing advocates, including Tech 4 Housing, made a concerted effort to show public support for creating a mixed-income community in one of Seattle’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
Affordable Housing 101—our biggest event ever: We held one of our most successful and well attended educational events yet, an Affordable Housing 101 presentation in partnership with Mercy Housing. About 75 people came out to learn more about what affordable housing is, how it's built and funded, and what regular people can do to help.
Supporting State action on housing affordability: Our Board President and dedicated organizer, Calvin Jones, got a letter published in the Seattle Times rebutting their editorial board's incoherent argument that the State shouldn't get involved in setting housing and land use policy. As Calvin argued, “Statewide problems demand statewide action.”
Still to come in Seattle in the next few months will be legislation to make it easier for homeowners to build backyard cottages, and potential work on comprehensive plan updates. We’ll also be hosting another event with Mercy Housing on April 10, a happy hour and tour of one of their recent buildings. More details to come soon.
Read MoreLast week was a big week for Tech 4 Housing advocacy in Olympia, with work on tax incentives for mixed-income housing, support for tech industry advocacy on eviction reform, and legalizing tiny houses.
Tax incentives for mixed-income housing: On Monday Tech 4 Housing submitted a letter of support for SB 5363, the Multifamily Property Tax Exemption (MFTE) extension. The MFTE program is Washington's most widely used tool for developing mixed-income housing, producing over 1,000 units of rent- and income-restricted housing a year in Seattle alone. Under current law, properties lose the tax incentive and the affordability requirements after 12 years. SB 5363 would give municipalities the option of renegotiating those affordability requirements for another 12 years, preserving thousands of affordable homes that would otherwise revert to market rate.
Support for tech advocacy on eviction reform: On Tuesday a group of 10 executives primarily from the tech industry wrote a letter in support of reforming statewide eviction rules, which currently give tenants a meager 3 days to pay late bills before facing eviction proceedings. This is exactly the kind of engagement we want to see more of from the tech industry, so we reached out to thank each of the signatories, and organized a quick campaign to get tech workers at their companies to do the same.
Legalizing tiny houses: On Wednesday I went down to Olympia in person to testify before the Senate Committee on Housing Stability & Affordability in support of legalizing tiny houses, SB 5382 and 5383. In my testimony I talked about the backwardness of making sustainable and inexpensive housing options like tiny homes illegal while allowing 4,000 square foot McMansions to be built essentially anywhere.
While there I also took the opportunity…
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