Friends and Neighbors,

As so many of you know, King County is facing a housing crisis. Rents continue to rise and home prices soar while many families have been left behind during the recent economic “recovery.” In South King County, almost 23,000 families are spending more than 50% of their income on rent.

That is why, as Chair of the Budget Committee, I am excited to announce that this morning I unveiled a plan to invest $87 million in new affordable housing projects located near transit stations.

The County Executive‘s $48 million plan is a great start, but I believe we can do better. There are now over 4,500 men, women and children without shelter – a 19% increase from last year – we must do better. Working with Councilmember Balducci (Bellevue), I have identified several different financing strategies so we can build many more units of affordable housing as soon as possible.  I look forward to working with housing advocates, the County Executive and my Council colleagues to build more affordable housing in King County as quickly as possible.

Sincerely, 

Dave