Dear Maureen,

Today is the first day of the legislative session, and lawmakers have the opportunity to make real progress on solving homelessness and addressing our state's affordable housing challenges. This could be another banner year for housing, but only if lawmakers hear from you!

Housing costs have risen dramatically all over the state, increasing homelessness and putting people with the lowest incomes at the greatest risk of losing their homes.

• 71% of the lowest income people in our state spend more than half of their income on housing. This leaves them extremely vulnerable to eviction and homelessness.
• There is a severe shortage of affordable rental homes for the lowest income households. For every 100 households who are earning just 30% of the median income, there are only 29 available and affordable homes. For people earning 50% of the median income, there are only 52 available and affordable homes.
• A recent Zillow study confirms the strong correlation between unaffordable rents and homelessness. In communities where low-income people are paying over a third of their income on housing costs, there is a corresponding increase in homelessness.
    

Our agenda addresses these problems. It is time to be bold so people can go home!

Invest $600 million into affordable homes to build almost 17,000 permanently affordable home across Washington State:
-Invest $200 million in the state's Housing Trust Fund from the Capital Budget;
-Enact Progressive REET reform to make this existing tax fairer and to create a dedicated fund source for affordable homes; and
-Allow local jurisdictions to retain a portion of the state sales tax to invest locally in affordable homes.

Protect tenants to keep them in their homes:
-Enact eviction reforms that will allow tenants more time when they fall behind on rent, while fixing the court process to make it more possible for tenants who can pay the rent to stay in their homes; and
-Require cause for terminations to prevent displacement and retaliatory or discriminatory terminations.

Increase rental assistance for low-income people with disabilities who are unable to work:
The Housing & Essential Needs program serves people struggling with a mental health or physical disability that prevents them from working. The need for this program has steadily increased as housing costs have risen. Legislators must increase funding by $69 million this biennium to allow communities to end their waitlists and get people quickly into homes.

Thank you for taking action today!

Rachael Myers
Executive Director

P.S. Get the latest Legislative Session updates! Join our bimonthly Advocate Call with Director of Policy & Advocacy Michele Thomas. Calls are every other Friday from noon-1 pm starting January 18th. To join, call 1-866-339-4555, and use the access code 2064429455#

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