A picture of a person on a scooter and e-bike riding past a car with the caption 'tired of waiting in traffic? Lime will get you there.'

Social Housing

Social Housing Backers Declare Victory in I-137 Signature-Gathering Campaign

By this winter, Seattle voters will have before them the question of whether to fund the city's new social housing developer with a tax on the highest compensated employees in the city. To make it happen, House Our Neighbors gathered more than 38,000 signatures in support of Initiative 137.
a new seven story apartment building and a side street

Seattle Council Rejects Morales’ Affordable Housing Bill

After her bill failed Tuesday, Councilmember Morales said: "My Connected Communities legislation would have produced more affordable housing, commercial affordability, and anti-displacement measures right now. I’m incredibly disappointed in its failure to pass today."
Morales wears a yellow blazer and glasses.

Seattle Land Use Committee Rejects Morales’ Equitable Development Bill

Chair Tammy Morales appeared flabbergasted as she initially failed to get a second to her motion to introduce her bill providing incentives for affordable housing.
Space Needle shrouded in wildfire smoke from Oregon and California in late summer 2020.

Op-Ed: Harrell’s Anemic Growth Plan Is Not ‘Space Needle Thinking’

The mayor's comprehensive plan proposal failed to deliver real solutions on housing abundance, affordability, and climate. It promises only modest zoning changes at the margins and 100,000 additional homes over 20 years.

Social Housing Advocates Aim to Get Back on the Ballot for Dedicated Funding

Filed Tuesday, I-136 would create a dedicated income stream for social housing, generating around $50 million per year.

Join Us for January 11 Meetup in Yesler Terrace Featuring Seattle Housing Authority

The Urbanist's in-person monthly meetup series is back and it's headed to Yesler Terrace on Thursday, January 11, for an event focused on Seattle...
The Liberty Bank Building brought 110 affordable homes to the Central District under the guidance of Africatown. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

Seattleites Want Mid-Rise Social Housing Even More Than Sixplexes, Polls Shows

Social housing is popular in Seattle -- so popular it even seems to override concerns about appropriate building scale and amorphous "neighborhood character." To...

Seattle Social Housing Initiative’s Recipe for Success

House Our Neighbors' coalition members reflect on how the campaign achieved social housing victory. Ballots are still being counted, but with a 14-point lead established...