As Mayor Bruce Harrell signed “social housing” Initiative 135 into law Wednesday, debate over its funding is already underway.
After 57% of voters approved the measure in the Feb. 14 special election, the city is now on the hook to provide startup funds for the first 18 months of the operation of the new Seattle Social Housing Developer, a public development authority that will build, acquire and maintain a form of mixed-income housing called “social housing.”
Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales’ office, which is leading the agency’s implementation for the City Council, hopes the mayor includes the estimated $750,000 needed to start operations in an upcoming supplemental budget.
Harrell’s office, though, said that the supplemental budget can’t include new expenditures over $20,000 and that means November might be the earliest the money can be allocated. Spokesperson Jamie Housen cited the City Charter, which says that if a passed ordinance requires city funding that isn’t included in the current budget, then the city can’t allocate money to it until after the “next succeeding budget shall take effect.”
However, Tiffani McCoy, lead organizer for House Our Neighbors, the coalition behind the measure, said that Harrell is hiding behind vague charter language to slow down progress on Seattle’s newest agency.
“We as the coalition look forward to fighting for the in-kind support that voters voted on in the supplemental budget coming up in the next two months,” McCoy said.
As the Seattle City Attorney’s Office deliberates whether the money can come sooner or later, state Rep. Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, submitted Thursday to the House Appropriations Committee a budget request for slightly more than $800,000 to help.
Initiative 135 defines “social housing” as permanently affordable housing, where tenants have a say in how it’s run. The housing will allow people earning 0% to 120% of area median income to live there — a wider income range than federally funded affordable housing models.
Starting Thursday, the campaign has 60 days to appoint 13 members to its board. Seven of those positions will be renters living across Seattle, until enough social housing projects are created that its residents can fill those seats.
The Seattle Renters’ Commission will make the initial renter appointments to the board. Additionally, two board members will be appointed by the Seattle City Council, one by the mayor, one by the Green New Deal Oversight Board, another will be a rank-and-file union member and the final member will represent a community organization that provides housing to marginalized communities.
After the board is appointed, members will be tasked with establishing its bylaws before the boots-on-the-ground work can begin.
Regardless of how or when the developer receives initial funding, Morales said she will work to get it a line item in next year’s city budget.
“It gives me a lot of hope for what Seattle could look like in the next few years,” Morales said.
Morales tried to secure funding for the social housing developer during last year’s budget deliberations. That effort failed.
