Local & State Campaigns

Local

Fund Affordable Homes

Eastside Housing Trust Fund

15 cities and King County contribute to the Eastside Housing Trust fund, which has contributed to the development of more than 3,000 affordable homes on the east side. HDC works to maximize contributions to the fund which leverages $9 of outside contributions for every $1 cities add.

In 2018, HDC along with our Eastside partners advocated for cities to increase their contributions to the EHTF to be 1% of their general budget. This work is ongoing as we continue to work with advocates to prioritize affordability on the Eastside.


Inclusionary Zoning/Mandatory Housing Affordability

Inclusionary zoning is a flexible strategy with a proven track record of helping moderate and low-income households live affordably, and make our region’s ample opportunities and continued growth work for everyone. Recently HDC played a pivotal role in the passage of a Mandatory Housing Affordability program in Seattle which will make all growth in the 27 urban villages work towards affordability.


Mutli-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE)

The MFTE program provides a tax exemption to developers who set aside a certain percentage (20-25% in Seattle) of their units as income and rent restricted. Additionally those who participate in MFTE must commit to implementing an Affirmative Marketing Plan to fill those units. This is a proven tool for incentivizing market rate private development to include affordable homes. 15 cities in King County have MFTE programs and have to be renewed every few years.


Comprehensive Plan Updates

HDC works with cities as they create housing strategy plans, update their comprehensive plans, and work to implement, monitor, and evolve their housing policies and programs.

 

Recent Victories:

Vets, Seniors, and Human Services Levy (King County)

Source of Income Discrimination

See more here.


State

$600 Million for Homes Package

During the 2019 legislative session, HDC along with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance and other partners advocated for a $600 million funding package for affordable homes. This included an ask of $200 million from the capital budget for the Housing Trust Fund, passing a bill (HB 1406) to let local government keep a portion of the sales tax revenue to be used for affordable development, and make the state’s Real Estate Excise Tax work for affordable housing.

It ended up being a historic year for housing with a $175 million investment in the Housing Trust Fund up from $107 last year, the passage of HB 1406, and increased investment in important programs like Housing and Essential Needs.


All In for Washington
A statewide effort to clean up Washington state’s tax code so that all communities can thrive.