HB 1797: Press the Issue! Letter writing campaign for affordable housing funding
Local governments know their affordable housing needs. HB 1797 gives them the tools to meet them.
It’s time for us to press the issue: Send a letter to your local editor!
HB 1797 is our best chance this session to ensure local governments can fund the affordable housing development and preservation that their communities need. You can take action today by sending a letter to the editor in 3 simple steps:
- Use our template to craft a letter or write your own!
Dear Editor,
Every Washingtonian needs a safe, healthy, and affordable home to thrive and realize their full potential, yet that vision is out of reach for many across our state. A critical step towards achieving this is to empower our cities and counties with the tools they need to meet their local affordable housing needs.
Passing HB 1797 would achieve this by allowing communities to adopt an affordable housing sales tax by vote of city or county council and allowing local jurisdictions to establish a local option for a one-time sales tax rebate to reimburse cities for infrastructure to support housing development or to subsidize development of affordable housing.
Taken together, the important tools in HB 1797 will empower our cities and counties to ensure that all of their residents have access to a safe, healthy, and affordable home.
This matters to me because… ________________________________________.
I urge your readers to join me in supporting HB 1797 by contacting their lawmakers in Olympia.
Sincerely,
2. Click your local newspaper to send a letter to them:
Auburn Reporter Bellevue Reporter Bothell/Kenmore Reporter
Covington-Maple Valley-Black Diamond Enumclaw Courier Herald
Federal Way Mirror Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter Kent Reporter
Kirkland Reporter Mercer Island Reporter Renton Reporter
The Seattle Times Sky Valley Chronicle Snoqualmie Valley Record
3. Send!
Some hints:
Find a timely news hook. Editors need a reason why your viewpoint should be given attention right now. If they’ve recently published articles about the affordable housing crisis, you can submit your letter as a response to that.
Keep it short, under 200 words.
Don’t forget to include your full name, address, and phone number.
