Washington Advocates Save Housing and Safety Net Programs

Following months of intense budget negotiations, Washington State legislators passed a biennial state budget on June 29, avoiding a government shutdown. The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, an NLIHC State Coalition Partner, and its allies won hard fought victories as their advocacy saved multiple housing and safety net programs from elimination or deep cuts. They attribute their success to persistent work with lawmakers throughout the regular session and the two special sessions that Governor Jay Inslee (D) convened to give legislators more time to reach agreement. On April 28, the last scheduled day of the regular session, House and Senate leaders still debated revenue-generating proposals submitted by the House and supported by Governor Inslee, and Senate-proposed spending cuts that provided no new revenue. The latter would have slashed every affordable housing program by 50%, including emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters and rent assistance. The state housing trust fund would have received only $35 million, an inadequate amount to address current and projected housing needs. The Senate budget also proposed a 57% cut to the successful Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) program, which provides rental assistance and financial support to those on the verge of homelessness. Further, it would have eliminated the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (ABD) program, which provides financial assistance for those with long-term and permanent disabilities. Another bill would have capped all social services spending for several years. The Housing Alliance led a statewide coalition of housing, youth, domestic violence, legal services, and other groups to get the senate to support housing and safety net programs. Using the House and governor’s proposals as a firm base for their ask, advocates urged legislators to raise the housing trust fund allocation to the governor’s requested level of $65 million, maintain the house’s $28.5 million allocation for other affordable housing projects, and fund social service and affordable housing programs at the house’s proposed levels.Prior to the regular session, advocates strategically used their time to meet with legislators and invite them to tour buildings funded by the housing trust fund, and shelters supported by Consolidated Homeless Grants (CHG), another program at risk. Advocates also wrote letters to the editor urging legislators to support programs across the safety net. The Housing Alliance and its allies made use of personal stories and social media to raise public awareness; its political sister organization, the Housing Alliance Action Fund, placed ads targeting the district of the Senate’s lead budget writer.In the final budget, HEN was funded at a level allowing the programs to continue operating at current capacity. However, $14 million of unspent HEN funds from the last fiscal year was swept and program funding levels decreased by $20 million. The ABD program increased by $2 million and legislation expanded the definition of “disability,” which will ensure that Washington gets a 100% match for program participants when Medicaid expansion takes effect in January 2014. The Housing Alliance credits this victory to persistent and passionate messages that lawmakers heard from their constituents and the deep commitment to special needs populations held by House Majority Speaker Frank Chopp (D) and members in his caucus. Additionally, the Senate rescinded its proposal to cut CHG by 50%. The final budget preserves all CHG-funded programs—including emergency shelters, domestic violence programs and rental assistance programs—at the previous biennium’s funding levels.The final capital budget allocated $3.6 billion in new appropriations, including $70 million for affordable housing, the majority of which comes from state bonds. The housing trust fund received $51.5 million for use in housing for farm workers, veterans, people with chronic mental illness, and those with disabilities. Further, $4.5 million was allocated for public housing authorities to preserve five project-based buildings with expiring contracts, $14 million to turn a historic military building into affordable housing, and $10 million for weatherization of low-income housing. In addition to the state budget outcome, advocates won a victory with passage of “part two” of the Fair Tenant Screening Act. Enacted in March 2012, the first part gives prospective tenants the right to know criteria that a landlord uses to screen candidates, and the reasons why a landlord denies tenancy or imposes a higher deposit or other adverse actions (see Memo, 4/6/12). The Housing Alliance worked closely with domestic violence advocates on part two (see Memo, 12/7/12), which prohibits tenant screening companies from reporting that an applicant for housing is a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Governor Inslee also signed bills extending the foster care age to 21 years, and provisions making it more likely for runaway youth to seek shelter services rather than sleep on the streets. “At the outset of the session, our prospects for passing and protecting anything looked bleak,” said Michele Thomas, the Housing Alliance’s Director of Policy and Advocacy. The Senate made it clear that they would not prioritize protecting the safety net. While we would have liked to move forward by expanding investments in affordable housing and homelessness programs, we are proud that they are maintained at current levels and that more than $70 million was allocated for affordable housing. The passage of the Fair Tenant Screening Act was an incredible accomplishment and we are very pleased with the outcomes of the long, hard session.” For more information, contact Michele Thomas at [email protected]