Why I'm Voting Yes on Prop 1A!
by Co-Executive Director Tara Miller
As new national policies threaten our communities daily, it can be hard to focus on the change we’ve been working toward before the inauguration, which is often more localized. However, building collective power means organizing step by step toward sustainable change, even as we shift much of our energy toward reacting to larger national threats.
This coming Tuesday, February 11, is such an opportunity to invest in our communities by funding social housing. I’m voting YES on Prop 1A, and I hope you will join me!
My first five years in Seattle, I worked directly with people experiencing houselessness. I quickly learned how dire our housing affordability crisis is, when so many of the families I worked with had stable jobs and still could not afford an apartment. At the same time, I learned how hard it is as a nonprofit worker to support people in their housing searches while I too could barely afford my apartment. This continues to be true (and has gotten worse) for so many people in my life – from essential service workers, to union laborers, to city workers, to workers at my favorite restaurants and thrift stores: being able to afford housing in Seattle is a constant struggle.
This is why I am excited about Prop 1A. Prop 1A would fund the creation of permanently affordable, publicly owned housing through a tax on the wealthiest businesses, generating about $50 million toward social housing. Social housing means that the community owns the buildings, and housing prices are determined by income – higher income households subsidize those of lower incomes, and all live in community together.
Seattle voters approved I-135 to create the Seattle Social Housing Developer in 2023 which would manage the creation of this social housing. So I know that we’re already on-board – we just need to vote YES on Prop 1A to fund the Social Housing Developer and get things started!
On our ballots, we have the option to vote on Prop 1A or on Prop 1B, which City Council and Mayor Harrell have proposed as an alternative. Prop 1B may sound enticing, but it diverts funds from the JumpStart tax. This fall, we shared week after week that “budgets are a moral document,” and City Council failed to listen, shifting the focus of JumpStart funds from investment in community to filling the gaps of their budget deficit. Despite what City Council and the Mayor may say, they cannot continue to pull funds from JumpStart for any purpose they’d like.
In order for us to make long-lasting shifts in how we care for our community and prioritize its people, we need to continue to invest in progressive revenue sources. The sustainability of this housing option in a time when housing is unaffordable to many, is reliant on us creating a lasting, dedicated funding source. Join me in voting YES on Prop 1A by Tuesday, February 11 at 8 PM – make sure you answer “yes” on question 1, and “Prop 1A” on question 2!