Washington State is in quite a bad spot for housing. In particular, low income folks are having a very tough time finding places to live that they can afford! Whether a house or an apartment, I think we’d all agree that everyone needs someplace to call home. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. 😭
Here are Five Fast Facts on the housing crisis in Washington State:
- 📈 Sobering Facts - Over 200k Washingtonians are facing housing instability or are actually homeless. Part of the problem is that rent across the state has gone up by an average of 50% over the last ten years.
- 💲 Rake It In - With rents this high, workers have to earn over $40/hour to afford a middle-of-the-road two bedroom apartment. At minimum wage, you’d need to put in over 80 hours per week to come up with that much. Either way, that’s a high bar to clear!
- 👀 Looking Ahead - The state projects a need for 1.1 million new homes and 91k new shelter beds across the state over the next 20 years in order to ensure everyone has a place to live.
- 🛠️ The Plan - The state’s Commerce department recently unveiled its plan to address this problem. One of its first goals is to build 18k new shelter beds in the next four years. Sounds like a great start!
- 💰 The Funding - To pay for all this new construction, Commerce is planning to request $1.2 billion in the next budget. They will also put in an annual request going forward to keep things moving along over time.
🔥Bottom line: This isn’t a fun subject, but it is necessary to look at it. Our fellow citizens need help! Any money coming from the state actually comes out of our pockets, of course, but surely there are some things that can be cut to make room for this worthy cause, right?
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