Seattle Housing Levy

What is the Seattle Housing Levy?

Since 1986 the Housing Levy has been the cornerstone of funding for affordable housing in Seattle, creating and preserving over 11,000 affordable rental homes and over 1,000 homeownership opportunities throughout the city. Thanks to investments from the Housing Levy, over 16,000 people currently live in safe, stable homes they can afford. For nearly 40 years, Seattle residents have consistently supported this critical resource, with the most recent Housing Levy in 2016 receiving a voter approval rate of over 70%.

Why is the Housing Levy up for renewal?

The 2016 Housing Levy is set to expire at the end of 2023. On June 13, 2023, Mayor Harrell signed legislation approving the City of Seattle’s 2023 Housing Levy proposal and sending it to voters for their approval this fall. The 2023 Housing Levy will be on the General Election ballot on November 7, 2023. If approved by voters, the 2023 Housing Levy will be implemented for seven years, from 2024-2030.

The 2023 Housing Levy proposal was developed following 16 months of stakeholder engagement, public meetings, and coordination between the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and the Office of Housing. To learn more about the 2023 Housing Levy’s proposed programs and goals, please read OH’s blog post.

In August 2016, Seattle voters approved a $290 million Housing Levy with ambitious affordable housing goals. After five years, the 2016 Housing Levy has exceeded its goals around rental housing production, rental housing preservation, and homeownership, and is on track to meet the remaining goals by the end of 2023. For a detailed report on Housing Levy outcomes as of 2022, see the 2022 Seattle Housing Levy Report, or see the 2016 Housing Levy Accoplishments for a two-page summary. 

Summary of 5-Year Progress Toward 7-Year Housing Levy Goals (2017-2022)

Seattle Housing Levy Oversight Committee

With the passage of the Housing Levy, voters also approved the establishment of an oversight committee, for the purpose of monitoring the progress of Levy programs, recommending funding policies, and annually reporting to the Mayor, City Council, and the public.

The 13 members of the Housing Levy Oversight Committee, all confirmed by City Council, are selected as follows:

  • one City employee appointed by the Mayor
  • one City employee appointed by the City Council
  • six community members appointed by the Mayor
  • five community members appointed by City Council

The current Housing Levy Oversight Committee members include:

Ann Melone, Chair, U.S. Bancorp
Beth BoramBeacon Development Group
Cara Kadoshima VallierOffice of Mayor Bruce Harrell
Colin Morgan-CrossMercy Housing Northwest
Damien JamesThe Northwest School
Dan WiseCatholic Community Services
Denise RodriguezWashington Homeownership Resource Center
Erin Christensen IshizakiMithun Architects
Joel IngEdge Developers
Patience MalabaHousing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County
Pradeepta UpadhyayInterIm CDA
Traci RatzliffCity Council Central Staff
Vallerie FisherSoutheast Seattle Resident



Housing

Maiko Winkler-Chin, Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 5700, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94725, Seattle, WA , 98124-4725
Phone: (206) 684-0721
Fax: (206) 233-7117
Housing@seattle.gov

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The mission of the Office of Housing (OH) is to create strong, healthy communities, prevent displacement, and increase opportunities for people of all income levels to live in Seattle.