Dear Legislative Leaders,
We represent a broad coalition of market-rate and non-profit housing developers, banks, businesses, housing advocates, realtors and philanthropists concerned about the housing crisis in our communities. We ask you to create a housing research center in Washington state to provide analysis and data-driven research to support programmatic innovation for policymakers, practitioners and advocates.
Housing affordability and the cost of housing remain top concerns for people in communities throughout Washington. While some housing research is being done, there is not a comprehensive, central organization conducting research, analyzing state-wide trends and evaluating policy solutions for all of Washington.
We have looked to several other housing research centers around the country to learn how they address the needs in their communities and contribute to statewide solutions. Given the housing crisis we are facing in our state, we believe Washington should have a dedicated center for housing research.
The housing research center would provide timely analysis and data-driven, state-specific research to formulate bold strategies and policies for our policymakers, practitioners and advocates. The center would allow us to:
- Recognize racial disparities caused by housing policy and find solutions to address the consequences of past harm.
- Analyze the impacts of state policies on different communities around the state.
- Understand market dynamics and the economic impact of housing.
- Examine tools to provide subsides and create more affordable homes.
- Provide technical assistance for local communities to implement housing policy.
- Enable policy makers from every level of government, including federal, state and local, to make data-driven decisions.
The housing research center will be hosted at the University of Washington, led by the Evans School of Public Policy and the College of Built Environments, creating an interdisciplinary effort that will draw on expertise across the university. As a public-private partnership, the center will bring together the business, development, government and academic sectors who all have important roles and differing perspectives that will be valuable in a truly statewide effort to address the housing crisis.
We ask the legislature to fund the Washington state housing research center at $750,000 during the 2025 Legislative Session. The center will also be funded by the private sector, which has a large role to play and is a part of these conversations around the state.
This new approach will provide a centralized foundation to build, fund and support housing development around Washington for our residents. Please fund the Washington state housing research center this session and ensure that our communities throughout Washington are able to address the housing crisis.
Sincerely,
Please sign-on for your organization.
Contact Robin Koskey at rkoskey@psrc.org with any questions.
Only sign-on for your organization if you have the authority to do so. If possible, please include your organization's logo as a JPG, PNG, or vector file.
