2012 Advocacy Agenda
HDC 2012 Advocacy Agenda (PDF)
Through education, advocacy and leadership, the Housing Development Consortium (HDC) supports and inspires its members as they work collaboratively to meet the housing needs of limited-income people throughout King County.
HDC supports efforts to achieve a balanced and responsible budget solution that includes revenue increases and preserves vital human services. Public investments play a critical role in improving the availability and quality of affordable housing and in supporting low-income residents and people transitioning out of homelessness. Washington has chipped away at the programs families need most to promote housing stability and prevent poverty. Without additional revenue, investments in critical housing programs and human services (i.e. the Housing Trust Fund and the Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) Program) will continue to fall short of meeting the needs of all our residents.
HDC recommends the following actions to help ensure that all people live in safe, healthy and affordable homes:
STATE ISSUES
Fund the State Housing Trust Fund
It should be possible for working families and vulnerable people to afford housing and still have enough money for the basics like groceries, gas and childcare. The Housing Trust Fund is Washington’s mechanism for ensuring access to housing for working families and vulnerable individuals. Since 1989, the Housing Trust Fund has invested more than $600 million in new and improved housing, leveraged more than $3 billion in private and public sector support, and increased the stock of affordable housing by more than 35,000 units across the state. Investments in the Housing Trust Fund create thousands of jobs and help to stimulate Washington’s local economies—creating healthier, vibrant and affordable communities in King County.
Continue to make new investments in 2012 to allow Washington to address the growing need and the backlog in the affordable housing pipeline.
Protect Revenue to Fight Homelessness
The Document Recording Fee Bill, HB 2048/SB 5952, will reaffirm the state’s commitment to ending homelessness by extending the sunset of a $20 document recording fee currently set to expire in 2013. The bill also adds a new $10 fee to help make up for lost revenue to state and county homeless programs. The new fee is intended to help increase cooperation between state & local government, service providers and private landlords. It will sunset in 2015 to allow for an evaluation of its success.
Pass HB 2048 to prevent more than 43,632 people from becoming homeless.
Allow Cities to Exempt Impact Fees for Affordable Housing
Under the Growth Management Act, local jurisdictions are allowed to exempt low-income housing development from impact fees on construction. Costs of these impact fees can vary significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and can prevent or delay affordable housing projects or require greater local and state housing subsidies. Currently, cities do not have a practical way to exempt low-income housing from impact fees. HB 1398 will allow local governments the flexibility to exempt impact fees for low-income housing without a dollar-for-dollar replacement to impact fee accounts.
Allow local governments the flexibility to exempt impact fees for low-income housing in order to meet the housing needs unique to their communities.
Reform Current Washington State Quality Award (WSQA) Requirements
Affordable housing and homeless organizations work hard to make housing a reality for thousands of working families and vulnerable individuals each year. In these challenging times, non-profit housing providers and housing authorities should not have to complete costly assessments that do not improve efficiency or effectiveness. Under current state law, beginning in 2011, eligible organizations receiving over $500,000 from a variety of housing-related funding sources must apply to the WSQA program for an independent assessment of their quality management, accountability and performance systems. These assessments are costly and time consuming, and WSQA no longer employs adequate staff to provide technical assistance and review assessments.
Reform the current WSQA application requirements for nonprofits and housing authorities to a simpler and less expensive model of accountability standards and reporting.
LOCAL ISSUES
Preserve ARCH Funding
Everyone should have the opportunity to live in a safe, affordable home. A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) is a partnership of east King County cities, joining together to preserve and increase the supply of housing for low- and moderate- income households in the region. ARCH funding is a critical source of capital funding for affordable housing. To date, ARCH contributions have created 2,500 units of affordable housing in east King County. ARCH funding boosts local economies and creates jobs; every $1000 of ARCH funding leverages $9000 in external public and private resources.
Preserve ARCH funding to help east King County cities meet the growing need for affordable housing in their communities.
Implement Effective Incentive Zoning Policies throughout King County
King County’s many moderate and low-wage workers should be able to live affordably in the cities they work in rather than endure long, expensive and polluting commutes that place them far from family and community for too much of the working day. Incentive zoning policies—required or voluntary—help to ensure that a portion of new development is affordable to limited-income families throughout the city. By linking the production of affordable housing to private market development, incentive zoning expands the supply of affordable housing while dispersing affordable units throughout a city or county to broaden opportunity and foster mixed-income communities.
Institute appropriate incentive strategies in King County cities in order to help meet local affordable housing needs.