Celebrating and highlighting an extraordinary year
2023 was an exceptional year for HDC. We took the lead in spearheading a series of incredible victories for housing affordability and supportive services in King County, we played a pivotal role in addressing the legacy of housing discrimination, we laid the groundwork for this year’s round of comprehensive plan updates, and we continued our work in developing the future leadership of the sector.
HDC is more than an organization, we are a movement. Our member’s collective voice and action is crucial to ensuring that all people live with dignity in safe, healthy, and affordable homes across King County.
It was challenging to narrow down our accomplishments, but here are some of our 2023 key highlights:
- We led the charge on the Seattle Housing Levy, playing a pivotal role in shaping this ambitious package and leading the campaign across the finish line—delivering $970 million to create over 3,100 homes in the next seven years. Mayor Harrell announced the levy proposal at our 35th Anniversary Annual Celebration, setting the stage for this ambitious year.
- We mobilized support for other major levies, including the Crisis Care Centers Levy and the King County Veteran and Human Services Levy, bringing in more resources for housing in the region.
- At the state level, we partnered with the WA Low Income Housing Alliance for a historic $400 million investment in the Housing Trust Fund and played a pivotal role in passing the Middle Housing bill—ensuring a more than billion-dollar investment in housing through the state legislature.
- We continued our commitment to equity with exceptional advocacy leadership of the Black Home Initiative Policy Work and subsequent passage of the Covenant Homeownership Account bill—breaking ground as a first-in-the-nation Special Purpose Credit Program aimed at addressing historic and generational housing discrimination.
- We kicked off our 2023 Leadership Development Survey Course, bringing our total graduates to over 275 and setting the stage to begin 2024 with an anticipated cohort of approximately 21 new participants. Our Housing Development Internship Program experienced significant growth, with 40 applicants and 12 interns participating in the 9-month paid internship.
- We launched the Decarbonize Affordable Housing Now program, which coordinates and guides upgrades to decarbonize subsidized multifamily buildings to proactively preserve affordability and prepare for compliance with state/city Building Performance Standards.
Even as we celebrate these accomplishments, it’s important to acknowledge that much work remains to be done. The affordable housing sector faces significant challenges, and it’s our aim to deliver even greater impact in 2024.
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