PSRC's Executive Director Josh Brown will be presenting to the King County Affordable Housing Symposium on January 31. View his presentation materials.
Brown will present on regional housing needs and the results of a recent statewide housing public opinion survey PSRC conducted in collaboration with the Washington State Dependent of Commerce. The survey showed that housing costs and homelessness are the top issues in Washington State. Nearly 80% of respondents said they wanted more housing options for seniors, teachers, fire fighters and healthcare workers in their community. Those surveyed also strongly supported more diverse housing types with almost 60% agreeing that multi-family housing like triplexes, should be allowed in single family zones when other standards like height and set-backs are met. View the full public opinion survey.
The Puget Sound Regional Council adopted its first Regional Housing Strategy in 2022. The strategy is a “playbook” of regional and local actions to preserve, improve, and expand housing stock in the region. It is helping to guide and support upcoming local comprehensive plan updates.
Recent data shows that households in the central Puget Sound region still struggle to find housing that fits their income in an increasingly competitive and expensive market. Rents and home values have risen steeply, home ownership is less likely for Black and Hispanic/Latinx households. Middle density housing, which is often more affordable than other housing forms, is hard to find. View the monitoring report for the first year of the Regional Housing Strategy.
The first annual King County Affordable Housing Symposium will bring together elected leaders, sector professionals, policy experts, business partners and housing advocates with the primary goal of advancing the role of affordable housing within our community. The Symposium will launch the Affordable Housing Local Policy toolkit that the Housing Development Consortium and Urban Land Institute have developed in partnership with a diverse steering committee.