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Contact: Rob Huff, robh@wliha.org, (253) 229-5769

The Gap report shows why Housing Trust Fund investments and HB 2266 are so critical

The lowest income households in Washington continue to face a severe shortage of affordable and available rental homes in the latest The Gap report published today from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).

According to the report, there are just 28 homes that are affordable and available for every 100 extremely low-income households across Washington, making our state one of nine across the country with the largest gap in housing availability and affordability. Households are considered to be extremely low income if they are at or below the poverty level, or make an annual income that is at or below 30 percent of their area median income.

The Housing Trust Fund is the primary way the state invests in homes that are affordable to low-income people in Washington. It helps fund homes for people earning up to 80 percent of the area median income, but primarily serves people with extremely low incomes, including people and families who have been homeless, people in need of supportive housing, veterans, seniors, and farm workers, as well as people with developmental or other disabilities.

Even when funding for affordable homes is secured through the Housing Trust Fund and other sources, siting these homes can be difficult due to the use of discriminatory barriers that some local governments put in place to block permanent supportive housing, which serves the lowest income people, with disabilities.

House Bill 2266 would legalize the siting of these homes as well as emergency shelter that is critical to preventing and ending homelessness in our state.

The report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, also reveals that households in two metro areas in Washington face even tougher challenges finding affordable and available housing. also includes additional information about the top 50 metro areas across the country. Two metro areas that include Washington cities reveal even tougher challenges. The Vancouver, Washington community, which is part of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area, has just 19 homes for every 100 extremely low-income renters, while the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area has just 26 homes for every 100 extremely low-income households seeking a home.  
 
"Washington has one of the biggest shortages of homes affordable to the lowest income households in the country." said Rachael Myers, Executive Director of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. "State lawmakers can address the gap highlighted in this report by passing House Bill 2266 and making the highest investment possible in the Housing Trust Fund this year."

The Senate passed HB 2266 Wednesday afternoon. Now it goes back to the House for agreement on amendments, before going to the Governor for his signature.  
 
The capital budget passed by the House last week includes a $164 million investment in the Housing Trust Fund, plus an additional $20 million for the preservation of manufactured housing communities. The House also included more than $30 million in direct project earmarks. The proposed capital budget from the Senate includes a $128 million investment in the Housing Trust Fund and more than $9 million in direct project earmarks.  
 
Learn more about The Gap by visiting: https://nlihc.org/gap
 
For additional information, please contact Rob Huff at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance.   
 
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