Coinciding with her one-year anniversary, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide) was appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) National Affordable Housing Task Force. This national body, made up of elected officials from around the country, will explore how communities can better respond to the housing affordability crisis felt across the country. The task force will produce best practices for local municipalities, as well as policy recommendations for states and the federal government.
“The lack of housing and the crisis of homelessness is the issue facing cities around the country,” said Councilmember Mosqueda, who serves as chair of Seattle City Council’s Housing, Health, Energy and Workers’ Rights Committee. “It’s imperative that we as city leaders expedite our commitment to build affordable housing for working families, students, retirees, artists and activists. More than half our city residents rent, far too many pay more than a third of their income on housing, and the cost of first-time home ownership to create economic stability is simply out of reach. Our homeless neighbors, our rent-burdened residents, our elders on fixed incomes, and our working families who have been displaced or on the verge of displacement, need affordable housing solutions now. I am looking forward to working with cities across the country to both learn from and collaborate on housing solutions to meet this crisis now.”
“Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda will bring her unwavering commitment to public policies that make life better for regular, working folks to help focus the work of the NLC Task Force on our nation’s housing crisis, and ground it in practical housing solutions that include all of us,” said Alison Eisinger, Executive Director of Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness.
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, Indiana and NLC President said in the news release announcing the national task force, “Every American deserves a place to call home. But in cities across the country, serious shortages of adequate housing means that too many residents don’t have the security of a stable home. Local leaders are on the front lines of ensuring that residents have safe, affordable housing and through the formation of this task force we will leverage our collective experience to help solve this urgent challenge.”
Mosqueda joins 17 other elected and local officials, including the mayors of Oakland, San Antonio, Atlanta and Charlotte, and Councilmembers from Denver, Eugene, and Baltimore, among others.
The National League of Cities is an advocacy organization that represents 19,000 local municipalities, according to its website.