The March edition of Council Edition is available online. Councilmembers O’Brien, Sawant and I join host Brian Callanan to discuss the city’s housing crisis, including tenants’ rights, encampments, and linkage fees. We also discuss participatory budgeting and Seattle’s minimum-wage increase.
Tag: Housing
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One Night Count Numbers Jump 21%
Each year the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, organizes a one night count of people all over King County sleeping in their cars, in doorways, under bridges, in greenbelts, and in doorways. This year 1000 people participated in the count. This year, these volunteers counted 3,772 people without shelter in King County last night. This […]
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The Year in Review: Oh the Places We’ve Been and the Path We’re on for 2015!
Thank you so much for helping make 2014 such a powerful year. It is no secret how much I love this city and my job, and I am proud of the work and accomplishments we are achieving together. It is an enormous privilege to represent you on City Council. I would like to share with […]
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November Council Edition: City budget, homeless encampments and more
Check out the November episode of City Inside/Out: Council edition, where I appear with Councilmembers Time Burgess and Kshama Sawant. With host Brian Callanan we discuss the city budget, homeless encampments, and more.
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From Streets to Shelter
Even though we provide millions of dollars for supportive housing, according to the One Night Count last January 3,123 people remain on our streets county-wide, without permanent shelter. This is a public health and public safety crisis–for those who are unsheltered and for everyone in the community. I heard powerful testimony from those who attended […]
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“Stepping Forward” May be a Step Backward for Many
“Stepping Forward” May be a Step Backward for Many Proposal to Raise Rent May Make Affordable Housing Programs Out of Reach Here and below is a letter that I sent yesterday to Julian Castro, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the letter I request that HUD adopt new emergency administrative […]
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Creating Clean, Safe, Affordable Places to Live — Tiny Houses and more.
Last spring I visited Quixote Village in Olympia and suggested we should build 1,000 small houses region-wide for those who want to live in compact affordable homes or to bring people who are homeless in from out of the rain. You can read my views here. Panza, a faith-based non profit working with the City […]
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Affordable Living on Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill Housing is accepting lease applications for affordable apartments in their 12th Ave Arts building on Capitol Hill. Units are reserved for those earning 60% or less of the area median income.
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Council Hears Options for Foreclosure Prevention Strategies for Homeowners Struggling in Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/26/2014
Councilmember Nick Licata
Council Hears Options for Foreclosure Prevention Strategies for Homeowners Struggling in Seattle
SEATTLE - Councilmembers considered presentations specific to mortgage principal reduction and other foreclosure prevention programs for homeowners who are struggling in Seattle, and options to revitalize the communities impacted. The discussion was held in a joint meeting of the Finance and Culture Committee, and the Committee on Housing, Affordability, Human Services and Economic Resiliency, Chaired by Nick Licata.
Resolution 31495 directed the formation of an Interdepartmental Team (IDT) to explore principal reduction and other foreclosure prevention programs that can help low- income homeowners who have significant negative equity and may be at risk of losing their homes due to foreclosure. Since 2006, nearly five million families nationally have lost their homes to foreclosure, nine million Americans have lost their jobs, and ten million families now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Foreclosures in Seattle have adversely impacted communities of color in Seattle with nearly 8% of Seattle's African-American and Latino homeowners foreclosed upon to date as compared to 4.5% for white homeowners.
The IDT recommended several viable alternatives to foreclosure. In addition, panelists from Reset Seattle, a coalition of organizations working on promoting principal reduction, including the NAACP, United Black Clergy, Casa Latina, Natural Resource Law Group; and, Washington Community Action Network, also reported to the Joint Council Committee. They urged the IDT to go beyond recommending expansion of outreach and coordination of current programs, and to also seek innovative new solutions, including models that allow an underwater homeowner to rebuy their home at fair market value and reset their mortgage.
"The City should find new ways to provide assistance to Seattle homeowners who are struggling," said Licata. "With mortgage debt overhang impeding economic recovery, principal reduction on underwater homes may aide in our economic recovery," Licata added.
Today's IDT report was preliminary, with final recommendations expected soon. In June they will provide a secondary report to the Joint City Council Finance Committee and Housing Committee that will include a strategic plan with a timeline and program development deliverables as well as potential partners with whom the city could work to fund a program.
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Council Hears Options for Homeowners Struggling in Seattle
I agree that the City must find new, creative ways to provide assistance to Seattle homeowners who are struggling.