Washington Low Income Housing Alliance

Like air to breathe and food to eat, safe shelter is a fundamental human need.

We are a member-based advocacy organization, focused on changing public policy to end homelessness and ensure that everyone can live in a safe, healthy, affordable home.

MISSION We change public policy so that people in Washington of all races, ethnicities, abilities, genders, and identities can live in safe, healthy homes they can afford. 

We do this through educating decision-makers, organizing, and amplifying the voices and priorities of people and communities most impacted by housing instability and homelessness.

VISION Our vision is an equitable and racially just Washington where each and every one of us lives in a healthy, affordable home in a thriving community of our choice. Achieving that vision requires creating equitable, anti-racist housing policy and budget investments that are scaled to meet the true need.

WHY OUR WORK MATTERS Housing is powerful. Housing helps kids learn. It helps families stay together. It helps cities and towns to welcome immigrants and refugees. It helps people with disabilities and seniors to live independently and thrive. It helps communities stay resilient.

• Almost 240,000 people in Washington are considered extremely low income. There are less than three affordable and available rental homes for every ten families at this income level. 
• A fulltime wage of $36.33 per hour is needed to afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment in Washington. In the Seattle area, that jumps to over $47 per hour. 
• Because of high rents, a full three quarters of the lowest income households pay more than half their income for rent, leaving very little left over for food, transportation, childcare, and other basic needs.
• Because of historic and current racist policy, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) are far more likely to be homeless, to be evicted, and to pay more than they can afford for rent. 
• BIPOC households are less likely to own their homes, and benefit from the wealth creation that often comes with that. That means they are also more likely to rent and be subject to frequent and unsustainable rent increases.

Wages and income are not enough to cover out of reach housing costs, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Policy choices put housing out of reach for many. Different policies will create better outcomes. Our advocacy makes this possible. 

OUR PROGRAMS Through organizing, leadership development, and collective action, we build community power among those most impacted by housing injustice and pass equitable housing legislation that can transform our communities. 

Annual Legislative Agenda Development and Policy Advocacy We listen to the needs and priorities of people in communities across Washington and develop public policy meet those needs. We lead the advocacy for housing justice through the state legislative process and engage our members and allies in advocating for bills and budget investments that help more people find, and keep, affordable homes.

Annual Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day We organize 650+ people and gather for one of the state’s largest lobby days of the year. 

Resident Action Project (RAP) We build collective action around our movement by organizing with community members experiencing homelessness, living on low incomes, and living in affordable homes. We believe better policy is created when people most impacted by housing injustice lead the way in creating solutions.

OUR IMPACT Just some of the policy and budget investments we have secured in the last several years

• Making it illegal to refuse to rent to someone because they use a housing voucher or other rent or income assistance
• Creating new local funding sources for cities and counties to use to build affordable homes
• Extending the notice required for rent increases from 60 to 90 days
• Securing a 25% increase for the Housing and Essential Needs rental assistance program 
• Allowing tenants 14 days, instead of 3, to catch up on rent before eviction starts 
• Allowing tenants to pay move in fees in installments 
• Creating a new permanent fund source for rental assistance 
• Becoming the first state in the country to guarantee a lawyer for low-income tenants facing eviction 
• Requiring landlords to have a legitimate reason to make someone move, ending the practice of giving tenants 20 day “no cause” notices 
• Securing over $1 billion for the state Housing Trust Fund to build homes affordable for low-income households since 2019

When you invest in the Housing Alliance you join a movement for housing justice!