Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County
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Questions and answers about affordable housing.

Is financial assistance available to develop or preserve affordable rental housing?
Yes. The Washington State Housing Finance Commission offers programs that provide financial support for development, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable rental housing, as well as services for low- and moderate-income renters. You may apply for tax credits, deferred loans, first mortgage financing or project-based rental assistance, and other programs. To learn more...

How do affordable housing developments get funded?
Unlike most private housing developments, affordable housing projects require a multitude of funding sources. These include low-income housing tax credits, funding from banks and other financial institutions, private contributions, _____________________

How does affordable housing developed by nonprofits differ from affordable housing developed by the private sector?
A major difference is that nearly all the affordable housing developed by nonprofits is managed, operated and sustained by the nonprofits, rather than being sold after it's developed. This ensures long-term affordability and a commitment to the neighborhood where the development is sited. Before any nonprofit-developed housing is built, community meetings are held to hear what local residents have to say. The nonprofits listen and try to incorporate the neighborhood' s desires into the building of their apartments or homes.

How can someone get involved in affordable housing?
Some nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity encourage volunteers to get directly involved with building single-family homes, which they sell at affordable prices. Other nonprofits encourage volunteers to serve on their boards of directors, to donate money or to volunteer with fundraising or other events.

Who lives in affordable housing and how much do they pay?
People living in affordable housing usually work, but at jobs that don't pay enough to afford market-rate rents. Generally, persons in affordable apartments developed by nonprofits earn less than 50% or 60% of King County median income. That means they earn less than $13/hour or $14/hour. Many families and individuals earning minimum wage--less than $8/hour--also live in affordable apartments run by nonprofits. Others are on fixed incomes. For example, senior citizens and persons with developmental disabilities or special needs who are unable to work live in affordable housing. This means they don't pay more than 30 percent of their income, including utilities, for housing.

I voted for the Seattle Housing Levy. How are we doing?
The Seattle Housing Levy is a shining example of the fine work nonprofit housing developers do in providing affordable housing to a side variety of persons.

How is a neighbood impacted by having low-income or affordable apartments or homes in their neighborhood?
In many cases, the neighborhood improves. Nonprofits can often attract new services or businesses to a community. A good example of this is the Starbucks, Walgreens and Washington Mutual bank branch in the Central Area as a result of housing Central Area Development Association developed.