OLYMPIA, Wash. — Governor Jay Inslee’s proposal to spend $4 billion on new housing has the support of the state’s realtors.
The referendum, proposed by Inslee, a Democrat, last month, would allow the state to borrow $4 billion outside of the state’s debt limit for housing relief.
Inslee said the money would be used to create emergency housing, more than 20,000 new housing units by 2030, while providing closing costs and down payments to some low-income, first-time home buyers.
Inslee said homebuilding in the state has not kept up with population growth, one of the reasons he said the state is seeing an increase in the homeless population.
“We cannot fix homelessness unless we build more housing,” Inslee said at a December press conference announcing the proposal.
Nathan Gorton, Director of Government Affairs for Washington Realtors, the lobbyist who represents more than 23,000 realtors across the state, said he is “cautiously optimistic” housing will be a priority for Inslee and lawmakers when they reconvene in Olympia next week for their 120-day legislative session.
“It’s time for the state to step up,” said Gorton.
He said building more homes and apartments, and offering subsidies to low-income home buyers will be better for his clients, as well as the state.
Gorton said his organization will also be supporting other legislative proposals to bring about more development.
“Allowing more duplexes, tri-plexes, four-plexes, trying to make it a little easier to build homes and condominiums, trying to eliminate red tape,” said Gorton.
Republican Senator Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said Inslee will have to convince the legislature, "The 4 billion dollars in debt financing he’s proposing now will somehow produce a better outcome than the many billions that already have been poured into the homelessness crisis."
In the emailed statement Wilson added, “There’s no ignoring how his climate agenda is making housing more expensive, and decriminalizing hard drugs – which he encouraged -- has been a major factor in the homelessness crisis.”