Invest in Affordable Homes

Monica and her son Eric were on the verge of homelessness a few years ago. Then they found an affordable apartment at YWCA Family Village at Issaquah, a community built in part by the Housing Trust Fund. Image credit: Degale Cooper.
Monica and her son Eric were on the verge of homelessness a few years ago. Then they found an affordable apartment at YWCA Family Village at Issaquah, a community built in part by the Housing Trust Fund. Image credit: Degale Cooper.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to live in a safe, healthy, affordable home. Yet thousands of individuals and families are experiencing homelessness across Washington, and the problem is getting worse; the 2015 Point in Time Count found a 13 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness statewide over the previous year.

To end homelessness, we need more affordable homes. The state should invest significant, flexible dollars in the Housing Trust Fund, our best tool for creating and maintaining affordable homes.

Update (May 24, 2016): The final 2016 budget added $8 million for affordable housing, including investment in the Housing Trust Fund. This is not nearly enough to meet the need, and we’ll continue to advocate for deeper investment.

Learn more about the Housing Trust Fund on the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance website.