Harrell Announces $80 Million Proposal for Anti-Gentrification and Reparations
SEATTLE, WA – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell yesterday announced a proposed $350 million investment in affordable housing as part of the city's 2026 budget. The announcement, made at Bryant Manor North in the Central District, detailed a multi-pronged approach to address housing challenges, which includes an $80 million anti-gentrification and reparations housing fund. This fund is specifically designated for Black families affected by historical discriminatory housing policies.
Mayor Harrell characterized the $350 million investment as "the largest such investment in our city's history," noting it is being made "in spite of a budget deficit." He stated the funds aim to "protect and expand affordable housing across Seattle, provide emergency assistance to people to help people stay in their homes, and work to reverse inequities so we can build a better future."
Patience Malaba, Executive Director of the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County, commented on the mayor's plan, describing the announcement as "more than historic" and "transformational." She highlighted the $170 million dedicated to affordable housing production, preservation, and stabilization through 2025 funding, stating it is "the largest single year investment in affordable housing that the city has made." Malaba indicated that this investment "tackles housing from every angle," addressing existing affordable housing, stabilizing residents, and funding new construction.
Patience Malaba, Executive Director of the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County.
Focus on the $80 Million Fund
A notable component of the announcement is the $80 million anti-gentrification and reparations housing fund, allocated over the next four years. This fund is intended to directly address the impacts of past discriminatory housing policies, such as redlining. Mayor Harrell referenced his own upbringing in the Central District, an area historically subject to redlining, and the experiences of his family and community.
"It's high time that the city of Seattle better understand the rep and repair the harm caused by past discriminatory policies like redlining which displace communities, especially Black communities," Mayor Harrell stated. He presented examples of historical restrictive racial covenants in Seattle, including one from Capitol Hill that prohibited occupancy, sale, or lease to "Negroes or any person or persons of Negro blood."
This $80 million fund is designed to "help the most significantly impacted families stay in their homes and communities," providing "tangible support such as down payments, rent, housing costs such that families can build stability and find the opportunity that they so justly deserves as a result of the redlining policies that are here and were here in Seattle." The initial phase of this initiative will "focus on black families who face legalized housing discrimination right here in Seattle and will fund programs guided by community input and data to ensure the funding goes where it can make the most impact."
Roxanne Buchanan, Board President for the First A.M.E. Housing Association, shared her family's experience with displacement due to redlining, stating her parents had to move to Beacon Hill in the 1960s. She expressed appreciation for the new fund, hoping it will provide opportunities for families to "return to the Central Area where they grew up, where their roots are, and where they wish to be."
Streamlining Assistance and Preserving Housing
Beyond financial investments, Mayor Harrell announced an executive order planned for later today. This order aims to simplify existing city programs addressing housing instability. The order will focus on "keeping families from falling into homelessness, helping renters facing eviction, and providing early intervention when signs of housing instability first appear." The stated objective is to "make it easier to get help."
Maria Muñoz Roach, Executive Director for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, commented on the significance of this streamlined approach, particularly for emergency rental assistance. She noted that St. Vincent de Paul's partnership with the city has enabled them to "keep hundreds of our neighbors housed across the city." Muñoz Roach emphasized that "preventing evictions is the most cost-effective way of preventing the instability that causes disruptions in families and communities." She also commended the proposed plan's use of flexible funding to address "complex and multiple barriers" and welcomed the concept of a "centralized digital front door system" to expedite access to support.
Maria Muñoz Roach, Executive Director for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The mayor also addressed the city's strategy for homelessness, stating that "a best practice is not necessarily putting someone in a tent for shelter." While acknowledging the temporary use of sanctioned encampments, he emphasized a focus on "permanent supportive housing" that offers resources for individuals with addiction and mental illness. He asserted that the city has "broken all records" in placing individuals in shelter and permanent supportive housing under his administration, with over 2,204 people accepting referrals to shelter in 2023.
Mayor Harrell concluded by underscoring the administration's commitment to equity, noting that the $350 million investment in a challenging budget is "personal." He stated, "How dare anyone question the compassion of this administration toward people who are underrepresented, Black people, Brown people, people of color, people who have been othered, such as the LGBTQ plus community." He further emphasized the importance of continuing the work of past community leaders who advocated for social and racial justice.
