Seattle Press on Line - Mayoral candidates on low-income housing policy

Mayoral candidates on low-income housing policy

Sep 13, 2001 -- Seattle Press: What, if any, concrete measures would you take to help keep low-income housing in Seattle?

Charlie Chong: Keep what we have, which means opposing Seattle Housing Authority's obsession in remaking housing projects into fewer low-income housing units. Expand low-income housing in scattered sites quickly before available land becomes overpriced.

Max Englerius: People are finding it difficult to keep up with ever-increasing housing costs, and I believe we must take steps to halt inflation and curb spiraling increases. I believe that we should look into imposing actual rent valuations, for instance a one-bedroom apartment with no amenities should not cost more than $300 per month. We might impose a surtax on any excessive rents being charged, and return those monies to tenants.
I have also recommended that we examine the housing codes to see how they could possibly allow trailers to be placed adjacent to a private home, as a means of providing additional low-income housing options. Density and fire code regulations would have to be examined in detail for such a proposal.

Bob Hegamin: Enforce those contracts—with penalties—in which developers have agreed to provide affordable (low-income) housing as a condition for approval of a development.
Allow the concept of "bare-bones" construction, which provided GI's the housing they needed following World War 2. The idea was that the occupant, with a higher standard of living, would outgrow the "starter" house.

Richard Lee: Concrete measures? Pour the concrete! Seattle’s ugly-building boom has been accompanied by some measures toward providing a portion for “low income” housing, although my understanding of the city’s use of that term is really much more toward accommodating middle-class renters than you might imagine. The current administration seems to really detest low-income people and has done nothing for the working poor, and much against them. Instead of endless arguing about the feasibility of “rent control,” the City Council and Mayor should pass an “anti-gouging” ordinance to stop the rapid rent increase practices of some landlords. Rents should remain static for the first two years of tenancy. Schell's encouraging landlords to jack up rents 10-15 percent per year really defines his attitude toward renters.

Greg Nickels: I support further construction of housing in Seattle so that we can continue to be a city for families.

Paul Schell: Since the very first days of my first term I have worked hard to address the problem of Seattle’s rising housing costs. The result is a 50 percent increase in City-sponsored affordable housing production.
I created the new Office of Housing to focus specifically on preserving and increasing housing for low- and middle-income families. In 1999-2000, we provided $24 million in loan funds to affordable housing projects. We also created a new program to facilitate the preservation of "at-risk" Section 8 projects. I have led city government in supporting the Seattle Housing Authority’s work, through the HOPE 6 program, transforming public housing projects at New Holly, Rainier Vista, Roxbury Court, and High Point into healthy, strong communities. And I revitalized the City’s housing rehabilitation and weatherization programs to help low-income and elderly homeowners and renters retain their housing and save on energy costs.
These are the kind of concrete measures I would continue to pursue in my second term, finding creative ways to help people stay in the homes they have, preserving the housing already available, and supporting the creation of more.

Mark Sidran: We need more housing – and different types of housing—built closer to where people work. The citizens of Seattle have a long tradition of supporting low-income housing with generous levies and I will support the continuation of these levies. I will work with the Seattle Housing Authority, non-profit developers, public development authorities and others to find ways:
* To build low income housing that is dispersed and integrated into our neighborhoods;
* To provide incentives through development bonuses and other strategies to encourage private sector subsidies for low income housing;
* To provide necessary services to residents whose needs go beyond shelter and
* To support efforts to train residents who are capable of moving up the economic ladder and out of subsidized housing.

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