SEATTLE — Seattle voters will decide if they want to renew the city's housing levy during the Nov. 7 general election.
A housing levy has been in place in Seattle for nearly 40 years, and city leaders are urging Seattle residents to pass it again. This time around the city is asking for $970 million over seven years.
The money from this levy would be used in several ways to address the current affordable housing crisis in Seattle, including building more affordable homes and housing units.
Plymouth on First Hill has about 80 units of supportive permanent housing, with tenants who are more like family.
“They call me Mama Bear because I just care so much,” said Michelle Wise-Bailey, the associate residential services manager at Plymouth on First Hill.” I just want to put them in a big bubble and just keep them safe.”
Although Bailey is a manager now, she used to be a Plymouth Housing tenant.
“I would have been homeless, but Plymouth helped me. They saved me,” said Wise-Bailey.
She said the people living at Plymouth on First Hill now would likely be homeless too if it weren't for the supportive housing. She said it is difficult to afford housing in Seattle.
“Rent goes up, you know, they may get evicted because they can't pay,” said Wise-Bailey. “So, there's more homelessness on the streets.”
Plymouth on First Hill was built with money from the 2016 Seattle Housing Levy, which is set to expire this year. The organization's CEO is urging voters to pass it again.
“There's a shortage of housing,” said Karen Lee, the CEO of Plymouth Housing. “Individuals at the end of the income ladder, there's just not a place for them to live. So, the levy really helps with homelessness prevention.”
If approved, the 2023 Seattle Housing Levy will mean homeowners will pay $970 million over seven years. The average homeowner in Seattle would pay an additional $383 a year, or $32 a month, on a home with an assessed value of $855,136, according to the Office of the Seattle City Council.
The City of Seattle said the levy would create more than 3,100 affordable homes, assist 9,000 low-income families, support workers of affordable complexes, and help prevent the displacement of families.
Some people against the levy said the city should have made more progress with the millions they got from the past five levies.
“We’ve seen more than $1 billion spent on this problem, and does anybody listening to my voice think that that's gotten any better? It hasn't. It's gotten worse,” said Roger Valdez, the director of the group “Center for Housing Economics,” formerly known as “Seattle for Growth.”
Valdez said more affordable housing is needed, and he is not against taxes, but believes the city needs to be more specific and transparent with how it is being used.
“Tell us what the problem is. Define it quantitatively. Give us a measure of what the problem is and then tell us how you're going to solve it and how much it's going to cost,” said Valdez.
This levy is about three times more than the levy that passed in 2016, which was a $290 million over seven years.