Policy Impact

Since 1988, HDC and our partners have played a pivotal role in spearheading large-scale social change for housing affordability and supportive services in King County—and your voices made a difference! Together, we’ve worked to secure more funding for affordable homes, built and maintained inclusive communities, and improved the health and stability of housing throughout our region. The impact of our collective movement is only possible through effective cooperation by organizations and individuals throughout King County and Washington State.

Recent Policy & Advocacy Accomplishments

2025

In 2025, HDC and our partners:

Advocated for, and won, critical improvements to the Seattle Comprehensive Plan, through our leadership in the Complete Communities Coalition.
Extended the design review holiday with an interim extension for 6 months.
Stabilized and secured funding for affordable housing throughout King County and Washington State: $170 million in Seattle NOFA funding, $28 million in operations stabilization, totaling $350 million in the adopted city budget.
Led the passage of Bellevue’s most ambitious ever comprehensive plan and contributed to comp plan updates in other Eastside cities.
Through the Eastside Affordable Housing Coalition and Eastside Housing Roundtable, drove transformative change in Bellevue’s Wilburton neighborhood, passing mandatory inclusionary zoning—one of the region’s biggest housing growth opportunities.
Supported the passage of many key bills as part of the “Year of Housing 2.0:”
- Affordable Homeownership Insurance Study
- Condominium Reform
- Covenant Homeownership Account Trailer Bill
- Transit-Oriented Development
- Foreclosure Mediation
- Expanding Funding for Homelessness Services and the Covenant Homeownership Program
- Historic Landmarks
- Housing Accountability Act
- Housing Court Commissioners
- Lot Splitting
- Parking Reform
- Rent Stabilization

2024

In 2024, HDC and our partners:

Successfully pushed for improvements to the proposed Seattle zoning that will significantly increase the city’s zoned housing capacity, through our leadership in the Complete Communities Coalition.
Collaborated to support a three-year Design Review Holiday in downtown Seattle, reducing costs and expediting housing development.
Reorganized the Eastside Affordable Housing Coalition, re-energizing the advocacy for affordable housing in East King County.
Secured $127 million for the State Housing Trust Fund.
Expanded membership in the BHI Network Policy Group, growing the group to 220 members. 
Secured $2 million to build upon the Covenant Homeownership Act—capacity building and predevelopment support for “by and for” developers, a starter home production plan, and homeownership counseling.
Secured $14 million in flexible funding from the City ofSeattle to stabilize the operations of affordable housing.

2023

In 2023, HDC and our partners:

Led the charge on the Seattle Housing Levy—playing a pivotal role in shaping and delivering $970 million to create over 3,10 homes over the next seven years.
Championed and secured passage for the groundbreaking Covenant Homeownership Account—a first-in-the-nation Special Purpose Credit Program aimed at addressing historic and generational housing discrimination.
Partnered with the WA Low Income Housing Alliance for a historic $400 million investment in the Housing Trust Fund.
Played a pivotal role in in passing the Middle Housing bill—ensuring a more-than billion-dollar investment in housing.
Mobilized support for other major levies, including the Crisis Care Centers Levy and the King County Veteran and Human Services Levy.
Advocated for and ensured passage for the Design Review Exemption Permanent Legislation, the Tree Protection Ordinance, and played a key role in Comprehensive Plan updates.
Provided sound leadership in the passage of Seattle Building Emissions Performance Standards policy.
Provided leadership to the Eastside Affordable Housing Coalition that resulted in amplified affordability requirements in the NE 85th Street Station area of Kirkland.