Washington State’s Housing Affordability Crisis
This report details the current state of Washington’s housing crisis— how large the crisis is, where exactly our shortage lies, housing unaffordability’s most pertinent implications, and its potential causes. The bottom line is clear: our housing affordability crisis affects every Washingtonian, and something must be done.
The Racial Wealth Gap is the Housing Gap
The adverse impacts of the racial wealth gap do not stop with Americans of color. When a large swathe of our population is kept from homeownership and from full economic participation, the entire economy suffers. This has tangible economic implications for communities across America. The racial wealth gap is the housing gap—and both gaps, if left unresolved, will continue to cost the nation trillions of dollars (and will cost Washington State billions of dollars) with each passing year.
In 2021, the legislature commissioned a comprehensive business competitiveness and SWOT analysis of the state’s economy by the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations (LCEDIR) to be administered by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. This effort was predicated on the underlying consensus of Washington economic future - strong, quality, and equitable growth. Growth that meets or exceeds national performance and growth that is not built on either low wage jobs or that could tarnish Washington’s high quality of life.
The following report reviews existing industry studies to establish a baseline understanding of the state’s economy, completes a SWOT analysis, and - through focus groups, public interest meetings, and more - creates a peer state evaluation metric that can be reutilized for years to come. The report also proposes 3 big ideas for legislators, community advocates, and more to take action on while providing context for how these issues impact the economic success of Washington state.
Common ground for the common good
In a 2018 poll, 93% of Americans said incivility is a problem in the U.S. Additionally, 69% said it’s a “serious” problem.
“Incivility” is a mild word to describe the toxicity that has divided political parties, school boards, and many families in the past few years. Too much of our public discourse has devolved into a verbal cage match with no rules.
This heartening super-majority of concern is a call to action. Our current level of incivility is not normal. It is not inevitable. And it is not incurable.
Fortunately, there is a growing chorus of people and organizations who are thinking, meeting, and writing about how to turn the tide. Their work is worth studying to find the most effective strategies.
For all the past generations who fought and worked to sustain democracy, and for all the future generations whose legacy is in our hands, this is our civic duty.
Civic health summit proceedings
The Civic Health Summit was hosted by the Washington State Lieutenant Governor, the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the Jackson Foundation, and The William D. Ruckelshaus Center using participatory design-based practices that are simple yet impactful.
The event itself was designed to ensure that each activity supported the purpose of the engagement so that conversation yielded something.
Participants were invited to document in each small group conversation on template sheets, an action that connects their conversation to writing and drawing, enabling them to internalize and reflect on the information being shared.
Following the meeting, the hosting team reviewed the documents and the table hosts responded to identify underlying patterns that may shape future actions.