Many Washingtonians are living on the edge, one paycheck away from crisis. For those struggling with a disability and unable to work – temporarily or long-term – rising rents can mean a quick fall into homelessness. Housing & Essential Needs provides rent and utility assistance to those diagnosed with a significant physical disability or mental illness that keeps them from working.

• Statewide, rents have soared 21% since Housing & Essential Needs was created in 2011 – yet payments have remained flat. An investment of $12.4M would bring assistance in line with the real cost of rent.
   
• Many communities have resorted to putting eligible adults on waiting lists, as their Housing & Essential Needs funds are far short of what they require.
   
• A severe shortage of available, affordable homes for those living on the smallest incomes means that, without Housing & Essential Needs assistance, many will fall into homelessness. (For every 100 households who earn just 30% of the median income, there are only 29 available and affordable homes.)

Housing & Essential Needs is a highly effective investment that promotes long-term stability. A robust $69M investment would result in thousands of Washingtonians finding or keeping a home.

• Housing & Essential Needs prevents homelessness by quickly putting rental assistance into the hands of those suddenly unable to work.
   
• By design, adults receiving assistance either transition back to work at the end of their short-term disability, or transition to federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) through the state's Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD) program.
   
• Eighty-one percent of those receiving Housing & Essential Needs are struggling with behavioral health, making this a frontline investment in our state's behavioral health system. With a secure home, they are better able to address – and move forward from – a mental health crisis.
   
• Rental assistance is flexible and can be used to rent from a family member, or rent a room or apartment on the private market. This built-in flexibility makes it easier to find or keep a home, even in Washington's challenging rental market.

We all hope that if we fall on hard times, we'll find the support we need to rebuild our lives. Housing & Essential Needs provides services that allow Washingtonians to weather an unexpected disability – and ensures that a short-term disability doesn't lead to long-term homelessness.

Please take action today!

Michele

Michele Thomas
Director of Policy and Advocacy