Celebrating a year of transformative change in affordable housing
2024 found our community hard at work driving transformational change in affordable housing. From ambitious zoning reforms to securing critical funding and expanding partnerships across the region, the HDC movement has worked to deliver meaningful impact in our sector.
- Advocating for Supportive Land Use Planning
Our members work tirelessly to house people—and HDC creates the environment, resources, and opportunities to support their efforts. Through our leadership in the Complete Communities Coalition, we successfully pushed for improvements to the draft One Seattle plan that will double Seattle’s zoned housing capacity and allow up to 330,000 new homes across the city. - Organizing the Eastside
HDC worked to revitalize affordable housing advocacy in East King County. We reorganized the Eastside Affordable Housing Coalition with new leadership, emphasizing consistent and impactful advocacy. We brought business leaders into key housing policy discussions, ensuring broad stakeholder engagement, through the Eastside Housing Roundtable. We made impactful strides in pushing for essential comprehensive plan updates and budgetary priorities across Eastside cities through the Eastside Housing Equity Coalition. - Shaping the Future of the Sector
HDC is working to shape the future of affordable housing through innovative leadership and professional development initiatives. Our Housing Development Internship Program, which provides students of color with nine months of paid, hands-on experience, had a 90% hire rate among graduates in 2024. Meanwhile, the Leadership Development Survey Course, a cornerstone of HDC since 2008, create space and opportunities for peer learning and network, knowledge, and community building. - Furthering Race Equity
HDC is advancing racial equity through transformative programs and policies. The Covenant Homeownership Program has already helped 54 Black families become homeowners, with many more in the pipeline, and membership in the Black Home Initiative Network Policy Group has nearly doubled since 2022. Additionally, we have two active race-based caucuses that are addressing systemic disparities within the sector. And a major forthcoming milestone is our Racial Equity Commitment, calling on members to identify and implement equity-focused goals with the aim to create a fairer housing future through collective action - Defending the Climate Through Housing
HDC is championing sustainable, climate-resilient housing with groundbreaking initiatives. Five of our Exemplary Building Program demonstration projects are setting new standards for energy efficiency, two of which are already housing tenants. The Decarbonize Affordable Housing Now task force is advancing three pilot projects to upgrade efficiency and create a Toolkit for broader implementation. On the advocacy front, HDC is opposing harmful policy rollbacks while empowering members through sustainability-focused webinars and guidance on funding opportunities. - Providing Value to Members
From the Summer Showcase & Social to 55 educational events and trainings, HDC fosters knowledge-sharing and connections. New affinity groups—like the Finance and Accounting, and CBO Collaborative—address sector-specific challenges while building capacity and best practices. HDC is committed to keeping our community informed and united to face the housing challenges ahead.
The future we aim to build, one wherein all people can live with dignity in safe, healthy, and affordable homes across King County, is only possible through our collective effort and unbreakable resolve. We’re in this together.
