SEATTLE — Several recent reports show increasing challenges to housing affordability in western Washington.
Following a national Redfin report showing only 16% of homes affordable on a median income, an annual report by the Puget Sound Regional Council showed a continued housing cost burden for renters and buyers along with a wider-than-ever affordability gap between renting and buying.
The Seattle Renters Commission hears from renters and advises the city on their concerns and potential policy solutions. Co-chair Dan Godfrey said they hear about many issues - unit quality, issues with landlords, renters' rights - but affordability is a large piece of the puzzle.
"If you are at or below median income, especially significantly below area median income, Seattle may begin to feel like it is not for you," Godfrey said. "It's hard to find housing and it's hard to keep your housing."
Godfrey said a massive increase to housing supply is needed and that policies allowing for more accessory dwelling units and flexible zoning should play a role.
"We gotta get the rent down, we gotta get the housing up, we need wages to keep up with inflation and rental prices- a nice balanced market is generally good for everyone," Godfrey said. "But we want to keep everyone in Seattle- low income renters, middle income renters, older people, minority populations...it certainly needs to be for everyone and there's a feeling that these numbers support that Seattle right now is not for everyone, it's only for those who can afford it."
Godfrey encourages renters to get involved in the policy advocacy process, including in the effort to fund Seattle's new social housing developer. To learn more about the Renters Commission, click here.
"I think there is hope to be had for renters in Seattle over the next years and decades but only through continued work and collaboration across the city," Godfrey said.