Housing Out of Reach: WA Lawmakers Asked to Help
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February 11, 2008
Olympia, WA – Affordable housing advocates say Washington has priced many working families right out of the state. This week, they're asking lawmakers to double the $50 million the governor has budgeted for the Housing Trust Fund, money that developers apply for to build and restore affordable housing and offer low-interest loans to home buyers.
One critical need is housing for farmworkers, and Brien Thane of the Washington State Farmworker Housing Trust says we're losing our workforce to other states because of it.
"In central Washington, nine major agricultural counties don't have enough rental housing at any price to meet the needs of farmworkers during peak agricultural seasons."
Thane cites a recent survey showing more than half of farmworkers' families live in overcrowded conditions, and 30 percent live in substandard conditions, many in tents.
Other housing advocates look at additional funding as a smart investment for the state. Kristin Pula of the group HomeSight Washington believes making housing more affordable can boost the economy now, and avert other types of problems later.
"When we're not making opportune investments, the state can sometimes end up paying more money because of problems like the sub-prime crisis. So, I think we should look at it as an opportunity for increased investment in families and communities."
Pula points out that only one county in the state –- Adams County in southeastern Washington –- has homes that are affordable for first-time buyers. Both Pula and Thane say their organizations, and other developers, want to build more units, but the Housing Trust Fund receives about three times more applications than it has money to fund.
There are several online sources of information for housing issues.
Housing for farmers: www.farmworkerhousingtrust.org.
Affordable housing in Washington: www.HomeSightWA.org. And the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance sponsors "Housing Advocacy Day" in Olympia,.this Thursday, February 14. Learn more about it at www.wliha.org.