As budget negotiations begin in the state Legislature, calls for action on affordable housing and rent caps from the annual Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day are expected to ring in the ears of lawmakers.
Hundreds of unhoused individuals, members of non-profit organizations and advocacy groups gathered late last month to urge lawmakers to do something about the high cost of housing.
Cheyonna Lewis, a single mother of three, sat on the steps of the Capitol with her youngest son in late January. Lewis was homeless previously and currently is on the brink again.
When one of her sons got in a car accident, the medical bills sent her family into a cycle of waiting instability. While her two oldest sons have been raised to adulthood, she still struggles with the fear of having to “start all over again.”
“Where is everyone gonna go? Everyone can’t be outside,” Lewis said. “Having to spend more than 50% of your income on housing is insane.”
It is estimated Washington will need 1.1 million more homes in the next 20 years, and over half need to be affordable for residents at the lowest income levels, according to the Washington State Department of Commerce.