Recent Blog Posts

Low income renters in Washington face a staggering shortage of affordable homes, contributing to housing instability and homelessness across the state
Legislature Failed to Make Significant Progress on Housing Crisis
Hundreds of Thousands of Washingtonians at Risk of Displacement and homelessness by Excessive Rent Increases
Relief for renters clears important hurdle with WA House passage of measure to prevent excessive rent increases
Washington’s housing wage rises to $36.33 per hour – fifth highest in the nation 
The shortage of affordable housing has worsened for renters with extremely low incomes, especially in Washington
State lawmakers must make bold investments this year to solve the affordable housing and homelessness crisis
Bill to Stop Rent Gouging Approved by House Appropriations Committee, Landlords Join Housing Advocates Pushing for Floor Vote
Governor Inslee’s budget takes bold steps - significant housing investments are also needed in this biennium
The vision, mission, and values that guide our work
housing action
Spokane Virtual Day of Advocacy

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Rachael Myers, Executive Director

Spoh-KAN...

...the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest. Spokane County, population 471,221, is the fourth most populous county in Washington.

Spokane is 320 miles from our state capitol in Olympia. Despite this great length, affordable housing and homelessness advocates can (and should) still raise a loud collective voice that legislators will hear across all those miles. Spokane, today is your day to speak up as one unified voice! Spokane nonprofits have teamed up with the Housing Alliance to make sure Spokane lawmakers hear from their constituents today about affordable housing and ending homelessness.

Click here to remind your elected officials about what's going on in Spokane and that you want them to be champions for ensuring everyone has the opportunity to live in a safe, healthy, affordable home.

Tell them there are solutions to problems like these:

  • Last year during our annual Point-in-Time Count, we found 1,030 people experiencing homelessness in Spokane County.
  • 30,609 public school students in Washington were homeless during the last school year. And 1,784 of those students were identified in the Spokane School District, with 3,425 identified among all the districts that include part of Spokane County.
  • Spokane's "Housing Wage", or the hourly wage needed to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, is almost $15 per hour.
  • 70% of extremely low-income families in Spokane County are paying more than half their income for housing.
  • There are only 23 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income households in Spokane County.

The solutions include: funding the Housing Trust Fund, protecting the fees that pay for homelessness services, and reducing barriers to private market homes by making the tenant screening process less costly.

If you are reading this and live in the 509, please click here to take action today!

Once you've taken action, please forward this email or send this link to your friends and colleagues in Spokane and encourage them to take action too:

http://bit.ly/MamYC1

Thanks for speaking up!

Spokane Virtual Day of Advocacy sponsored by the Nonprofit Leadership Advocacy Group

Photo credit: Matt Howry

 

 

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