More than 50 organizations and businesses representing a broad and influential swath of Seattle politics have called on Mayor Bruce Harrell to significantly increase housing density citywide or risk exacerbating Seattle’s affordable-housing crisis.
The letter concerning the city’s Comprehensive Plan Update was spearheaded by theComplete Communities Coalition, which includes the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity’s Seattle-area chapter, the Housing Development Consortium, NAIOP and House Our Neighbors, amongothers. The latter three groups represent affordable-housing developers, commercial real estate interests and social housing, respectively.
Our Resource Development Volunteer of the Year award recipient, Linda Hoffner, appeared on KING5 Weekend Morning to promote our annual Women Build event. Linda has been such a wonderful contributor to Women Build over the years. We are so thankful for her support and everyone else who makes this such a great event each year.
This year’s Women Build program will offer multiple points of participation for individuals, friendship teams, and women from area organizations to fund projects, build affordable homes, and revitalize neighborhoods. From April 27 to May 18, area women will be empowered to help move Habitat’s mission forward by doing everything from working in Habitat stores to joining construction and repair teams on site.
The purpose of Women Build is to honor the central role that women play to empower one another, make an impact, and change lives. The bonus for participants is to learn and share skills, support local women homeowners, and to build up King County, together.
In the program’s 17 years, women from all walks of life have given back to their communities and enriched their own lives while making a real difference in the lives of our region’s hard-working, low-income families. Women Build volunteers are empowered to help ensure affordable housing continues to be built. This program gives women the satisfaction that comes with giving hands-up help to other women and their families.
This year’s co-sponsor for Women Build is Prime Electric, inspired by Lisa K who participated in past Women Build events, “I have been telling everyone that my experience on the Habitat for Humanity Women Build far exceeded my expectations and was
truly one of the most empowering experiences of my life! Truly.”
April 27 – May 18, 2024
Women of Impact Build: May 4
Group Builds: April 29 – May 11
Individual Builds: May 13-18
(Individual volunteers will be asked to donate $150 to take part in a Women Build day)
To sign up individually or for your organization, go to Habitat Women Build.
To take advantage of corporate sponsorship opportunities, get in touch with alex.wyatt@habitatskc.org
This year’s Beyond the Build Luncheon was beyond successful, thanks to the 1,400 plus attendees who donated more than $2 Million to tackle the affordable housing crisis in our region. And thanks to our special guest Seahawks Legend, Bobby Wagner. Not only did Bobby charm and entertain the many fans in attendance but set the philanthropy bar high with his own outstanding giving record.
Each dollar raised at the luncheon will go directly toward funding vital housing, creating tangible and lasting change in the lives of those we serve. Luncheon attendees learned firsthand from Habitat homeowners and home repairs recipients just how powerful a stable home can be. These include stories of how careers were made possible and educational goals were achieved, how improved living situations resulted in better health outcomes, and how families were made whole for generations.
Luminaries from the Habitat SKKC community shared the stage with Bobby as they were recognized for their outsized feats in support of our mission to provide affordable housing for everyone.
Habitat’s Community Leader of the Year honoree, Amazon, was recognized for their commitment and support of affordable housing in our region. Mike O’Leary was recognized as our Volunteer of the Year, Linda Hoffner as our Resource Development Volunteer of the Year, LeChelle Lucas as our Advocacy Volunteer of the Year, Mikhail Popko Nikolayovich as our Repairs Volunteer of the Year, and Lorraine Yerger as our Manny Weiser Volunteer Service Award Recipient.
This year’s Habitat SKKC Beyond the Build luncheon brought new committed donors and fresh energy to every element of our battle to assure that everyone has a safe place to live.
Washington’s short 2024 legislative session flew by and closed with some significant wins for affordable housing. As Advocacy Organizer Ethan Robinson suggests, “This session has been characterized by significant victories and promising developments, but it has also underscored the pressing need for bolder action to tackle housing insecurity in our communities.”
Habitat’s Advocacy team worked with legislators to pass a bill that added $18.25M to the Federal Housing Trust Fund (HTF) for Washington State. That additional HUD funding – formerly at zero in the Governor’s budget – will provide grants to produce and preserve affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households.
In a direct allocation to Habitat for Humanity SKKC, legislators added $6M to the State’s budget for Habitat’s 5022 MLK development, the world’s largest single-building Habitat for Humanity project.
Legislators added funding to the budget that will implement the Black Home Initiative’s (BHI) top priority, funding the implementation of the Covenant Homeownership Account Program. Habitat advocates partnered with BHI to promote passage of this funding proviso that will work to address generations of discrimination that continues to have long-lasting impacts on Black families to this very day.
With the passage of HB 2071, Habitat and other housing developers will be freed from stringent commercial zoning to add housing density with multiplex projects. The bill allows 6-plexes and below to be built to international residential code. This makes multiplex construction less costly because residential code is cheaper and easier to meet than commercial code.
HB 1998 legalized what is dubbed “Co-Living.” This is an opening to build micro unit apartments, another step toward providing shelter for very low-income people.
Legislators exempted developers from a sales and use tax when they want to convert commercial properties to residential properties. While SB 6175 doesn’t directly affect Habitat construction, it does set a precedent for a future comprehensive sales and use tax exemption that will reduce Habitat’s construction costs.
In smaller moves, legislators opened new local funding paths for affordable housing like SB 6173, which allows counties to increase their tax exemptions on affordable housing projects from those serving homeowners below 60% of AMI to those below 80% of AMI. And HB 1987 allows rural counties to use existing “public facilities sales and use taxes” to fund affordable housing projects up to 120% AMI.
Habitat’s Advocacy Team is already planning for the 2025 legislative session when they’ll take aim again at a comprehensive sales and use tax exemption for affordable housing. And they will lobby for a revolving construction loan to help fund the production of affordable homeownership projects.
This year’s legislative victories demonstrated lawmakers’ increasing sense of urgency for solving the housing crisis in our State. And, as Ethan Robinson says, “We must keep pressure on our cities and counties, who are still in their comprehensive planning phases, to prioritize housing solutions and support increased capacity across the housing continuum.”
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