City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
Executive Department - Office of Housing
Adrienne E. Quinn, Director
June 8, 2009
Dear Mr. Lupkes,
Thank you for your email to Mayor Nickels expressing the support of the 46th District Democrats for the Seattle Housing Levy. The Mayor's staff has asked me to respond to you on his behalf.
The Mayor greatly appreciates the work that you and many of your members have done on behalf of affordable housing. The Mayor and staff here at the Office of Housing completely agree that the levy should focus on the most vulnerable in our community, as it has for the last three decades. We know, as do the 46th District Democrats and an overwhelming number of Seattle residents surveyed on the issue, that it is more important now than ever to keep investing in low-income housing programs and assistance to ensure that our struggling families, seniors and other at-risk people keep a roof over their heads.
And Mayor Nickels' proposal to renew the Housing Levy will continue Seattle's commitment to help house our most vulnerable neighbors. As proposed, more than half of the seven-year $145 million levy will be dedicated to families and individuals earning minimum wage or less - including retail, restaurant and hotel workers, as well as seniors living on fixed incomes, homeless individuals and families, and those on the brink of losing their homes.
While the only stated target in the Mayor's proposal is for 55% of rental production and preservation program money must go toward units for people making 30% of area median income or less (about $17,000 for an individual; $22,750 for a family of three), that does not mean that the rest of the money will go toward people who earn up to 80% of median income, as some advocates are claiming. Simply put, because of the way low-income housing finance works, we anticipate the funding awarded from the 2009 Housing Levy will produce units at similar income levels as the past levies produced, which actually surpassed targets. With the 2002 Housing Levy, City Council set a target for 59% of the rental production and preservation program funding to go toward those earning 30% AMI or less; as of the end of 2008, over 73% of this program's funding was spent on units for those earning up to 30% of AMI.
As you may know, the levy funding is only a portion of the capital funding needed to complete a housing development. Other funding sources have varying restrictions on how they are used, including income levels - some sources limit to 30%, while some may go up to 50% or 60% AMI (we call this "workforce" housing; about $35,000 a year for an individual and $45,000 for a family of three). Besides this fact, every proposal that comes in for levy funding is analyzed based on its overall merits, including the needs of the population it serves and how the development may serve a need in the surrounding neighborhood. For example, with the coming of Sound Transit's light rail and bus rapid transit routes, it may make sense to consider funding buildings that serve households at 60% AMI to ensure Seattle's hard-working, low- and moderate-wage families can have the opportunity to live in the city, close to jobs and transit.
Thank you for taking the time to weigh in on such an important issue in our community. Your continued support of the Housing Levy is essential to its success.
Sincerely,
Adrienne E. Quinn
Director
Office of Housing
PO Box 94725
Seattle, WA 98124-4725
Tel: 206-684-0721
Fax: 206-233-7117
www.seattle.gov/housing
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