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Honoring the legacy of Frank Chopp

With great sadness, the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance joins so many across our state in mourning the passing of Frank Chopp. Frank was a fierce and tireless advocate for low-income people, those experiencing homelessness, and the basic human right to safe, stable, and affordable housing. His impact on our movement and on our state is immeasurable, and his loss is felt deeply by all of us who continue the fight for housing justice.

Seattle Times letter to the editor gets it right

Take a moment to read the letter to the editor by Kishanee Haththotuwegama, a WSU medical student from Spokane, published on January 10 in The Seattle Times:

"We urgently need more shelter space. But we must also address homelessness' root causes: soaring rent prices, wage stagnation and eroded social safety nets, to name a few. Policies like rent stabilization would protect renters who may face housing instability."

Bill aims to stop rent gouging in Washington state, provide housing stability to renters and manufactured homeowners statewide 

For Immediate Release: Friday, January 10th, 2025

Contact: Kristin Hyde, 206-491-0773 kristin@powerhouse-strategic.com

 

Bill aims to stop rent gouging in Washington state, provide housing stability to renters and manufactured homeowners statewide 

Olympia, WA – Today at a news briefing, legislative sponsors of a measure to limit excessive rent increases across Washington state joined affordable housing advocates, impacted renters and landlords to talk about the policy. 

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision will do more harm to those who are homeless

This is a disappointing decision that will do nothing to solve homelessness. In fact, it will make it worse by giving cities free rein to prioritize criminalization while neglecting and diverting funds from proven solutions like housing. And fines and arrests often extend people’s experience of homelessness by making it harder for them to access housing and services in the future. 

Washington ranked 5th most unaffordable state for housing in new Out of Reach report

For the second year in a row, Washington was ranked with the fifth-highest hourly “housing wage” in the country. The state average “fair market rent” for a 2 bedroom is $2,097, meaning, in order to afford rent and utilities without paying more than 30% of one’s income for housing, one would need to earn $6,989 monthly.