Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the voices that could not – or would not – be heard. He participated in peaceful protests and spoke on voting and labor rights, desegregation and equal housing.
Sadly, Dr. King did not live very long to see the fruits of his actions on behalf of millions. The Fair Housing Act – making it illegal to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or familial status in the sale or lease of residential property – became law a week after his assassination.
Some 55 years later we are still collectively climbing that hill toward being a true united states that embraces diversity, equality and inclusion. Which made me wonder: Should housing become one of our nation’s rights rather than simply a commodity?
Safe and stable housing has been deemed a human right as far back as the 1940s but, as we know, treaties, resolutions and declarations often become failed promises or goals seemingly spun in a cocoon of red tape. Despite the groundbreaking housing act of 1968, no U.S. law enforces the right to a home.
Basic food, water and shelter are the very foundation to quality of life. Without this, people run the risk of physical and mental harm amid a lack of safety and security. In other words, this lack of human rights can breed an emptiness of human dignity.
There is evidence of successes (albeit mild ones) in Scotland, France and South Africa where housing as a right is baked into laws. So, why not here?
As has been learned from the three example nations, simply passing legislation that declares housing as a right is not the sole solution. It must be paired with proposals, policies and partisanship that can define pathways to success on the far-reaching subject of housing for all.
“Experiencing homelessness is not a moral failure of individuals, but a structural failing on the part of a country that has long refused to make safe and affordable housing a priority,” Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said in 2021, when she cowrote legislation seeking to improve housing infrastructure for those most in need. “This crisis of housing instability is human-created but that means that we can fix it – and we must.”
The bill – the Housing is a Human Right Act – introduced by our local lawmaker to the U.S. House has languished for more than a year. However, there is promise on the horizon from other areas.
In late December, President Biden signed an omnibus spending package that earmarks far more funding toward critical real estate-related support and services. The list includes $1.5B toward a grant program supported by the Department of Housing Urban and Development (HUD) and $85M to allow state and local entities a remit to create more affordable housing.
HUD has been working hard in recent years to improve the affordability dilemma while narrowing the racial ownership gap. The agency’s Equity Action Plan – established last spring – aims to build equitable communities across the nation.
The plan calls for all businesses, agencies and local governments benefiting from HUD funding to adhere to the anti-discrimination tenets of America’s housing laws. This means the likes of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae – which back most consumer mortgages – as well as the Federal Reserve and its community reinvestment initiatives are duty-bound to provide fair and equitable financing to those of all stripes.
A long history of intentional exclusion and disinvestment from communities of color and other minorities has led to decades of housing inequality. An equally strong commitment to undoing that dark history and extending it further to demand housing as a human right can result in truly equitable outcomes for all Americans.
If Dr. King were alive celebrating his 94th birthday, he would peacefully protest for housing rights as a human right – as we, too, all should.
GROWING SUPPORT IN OLYMPIA FOR HOUSING ACTION
While more is being done to address housing access and affordability than in years past, historic investments and legislative changes are still required to have a measurable impact. Lawmakers in Olympia are the focus of attention as a legislative session now underway promises major steps toward addressing affordability, accessibility and healthy housing choices to residents in need.
For every housing unit brought to market in Puget Sound (King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap counties) in the 2010s, three new people arrived in the region. Only roughly one-fifth of that housing – for sale and lease – was considered by the state to be affordable, further threatening people struggling to remain in our area.
King County officials recently conducted a survey of residents who were considering leaving the region because of housing affordability. More than 1800 respondents called for action to build additional accessory dwelling units in homes (56% in favor), detached backyard dwellings (50%) and townhomes (43%) to help those struggling. Affordability for first-time buyers is at all-time lows.
The state is about 120,000 housing units short today and a policy brief from Gov. Jay Inslee suggests we will need a million new homes in the next 20 years to catch up.
“This is a statewide problem. Every community has a housing crisis,” Gov. Inslee said. “That’s why we need some changes in our zoning laws.”
Many state lawmakers appear to agree, as housing is among the top legislative agenda items this term. They are working on proposals that could:
- remove a ban on denser housing to allow more multiplexes and townhomes on single-family lots;
- eliminate “design review boards” for residential projects;
- streamline the building permitting process; and,
- spend at least $1B more each year on affordable housing.
The governor’s marquee proposal is a referendum that would ask voters this November to increase the state’s bonding capacity to invest $4B in housing through this decade. Some of the funding would go toward permanent supportive housing, which is an essential part of the state’s mental health system. It also includes a range of other investments in homeownership opportunities to reduce racial disparities, preservation of existing housing and streamlining permitting.
Lawmakers are expected to consider bills that would require cities to allow more units on more blocks, based on the idea that a housing shortage decades in the making is driving up home prices and contributing to homelessness. They might even compel action on so-called “middle housing” types – like duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings.
Resistance to state housing edicts will likely come from select lawmakers as well as cities that wish to retain local control over zoning details, such as minimum lot sizes and setback requirements. Neighborhood associations, too, could argue for the status quo in a desperate act of NIBYism.
It’s clear to this observer and from a broad selection of others – from top state lawmakers, unions, builders, fellow Realtors and the biggest global corporate powers based in our backyard – that drastic action is required now to fix a dysfunctional housing system.
We will be closely watching the next several weeks for more action than promises from our elected officials. If you care about the housing crisis, then make your voice heard and speak with your state lawmakers.
BY THE NUMBERS
>> One in five Americans have moved in the 2-plus years since Covid hit our shores, according to a Harris survey of adults. Among the 1296 homeowners surveyed, 44% say they now regret their decision to move. The top reason (59%): Too spontaneous of a decision that has led to financial stress.
>> Three cities in south King County were named among the most ethnically diverse in the country, according to WalletHub. Kent was ranked the 7th-most diverse from a review of more than 500 cities. Federal Way came in 12th and Renton 16th. The website used three key metrics: ethno-racial diversity, linguistic diversity and birthplace diversity. Jersey City, N.J., was at the top of the list followed by Germantown, Md. Bellevue, Wash., was 37th.
>> Seattle metro includes 1.64M households, of which 60% are owner-occupied homes, according to a report from PwC and Urban Land Institute. The report noted 12% of area workers commute more than one hour.
>> A vast majority of builders surveyed by John Burns Real Estate Consulting are helping buyers get into a brand-new home by lowering interest rates on their mortgage offerings. A full 77% of builders in the Northwest are offering either a full 30-year or temporary 2- or 3-year discount on rates to help boost sales. This can mean buyers could receive a mortgage at about 5.0% instead of 6%-6.5% – depending on their financial situation.
>> The Eastside city of Medina (98039) is the sixth-most expensive ZIP code in the country to own a home, with a 2022 median sales price of $4.75M, according to a report from PropertyShark. Mercer Island (98040) came in No. 59 at $2.28M. Topping the list is Atherton, Calif. (94027), in Silicon Valley at $7.9M, followed by Sagaponack, N.Y. (11962), in the Hamptons of Long Island at $5.75M (data through October).
>> The National Association of Realtors® (of which I am a member) partnered with the National Forest Foundation on a special initiative. They are planting 1.575M trees – one for each Realtor – across the U.S. by the end of 2025. The U.S. Forest Service has estimated that every dollar spent on planting and caring for trees yields benefits two to five times the investment.