Nick Licata is a Seattle City Councilman, and one of Seattle’s champions for affordable housing and civil rights for people experiencing homelessness and poverty. He’s been a Seattle Council member for 12 years. In 2010, he is poised to be the Council Chair for the Housing, Human Services, Health, and Culture Committee for the City of Seattle.
Licata’s work on the homeless front has helped shape the attitude the general public in Seattle has toward low-income residents and people sleeping on the streets — to the point of overwhelmingly renewing a housing levy this April (63 percent) that brought a wealth of resources to the city government for affordable housing and homelessness. Over the course of a little more than a year, a team of foundations, businesses, non-profits and individuals raised nearly $350,000 for the housing levy. The return was $147 million over seven years. (See Push for housing levy coming from the grassroots, Street Roots Nov. 27).
We recently asked Nick how it’s done.
Nick Licata: There is a great deal of energy needed to begin a planning process about a year before the levy is put on the ballot. The city government must be involved and must play a major role in bringing various members of Seattle’s communities together to discuss the possibility of pursuing a levy. The process takes on the following steps:
The effort to create an affordable housing levy usually begins with a city department beginning the plan for such an effort. For instance, the Office of Housing began planning for a housing levy renewal in 2008. The planning process included work by a technical advisory committee and a steering committee, as well as a public open house to discuss proposed Seattle housing levy programs and previous levy successes, as well as current and future housing needs in Seattle.
The Steering Committee was convened by the Seattle Office of Housing to review the proposed 2009 Seattle Housing Levy packages and make a recommendation to the mayor. The committee was co-chaired by former mayors Norm Rice and Charles Royer and composed of representatives from local non-profit housing developers, banks and lenders, unions, attorneys, philanthropy and businesses.
The Office of Housing also created a Technical Advisory Committee to provide advice and feedback to the Office of Housing regarding options for funding programs in the 2009 Housing Levy. The committee was a diverse group consisting of nonprofit and for profit housing developers, lenders, service providers, and representatives of business, labor, environmental and philanthropic organizations. (They met four times between September and October 2008.)
Aside from these two committees, the Office of Housing also wanted to better understand Seattle residents’ overall attitudes about the importance of low-income housing assistance compared to other city priorities; perceptions of the benefits of low-income housing assistance to the wider community; and the impact of the current economic climate on attitudes about these programs and on residents’ willingness to continue funding them through a housing levy. In March 2009, EMC Research conducted a telephone survey of 800 Seattle residents.
I.B.: Do you think the recession affected the passing of this levy?
N.L.: No, I do not think that the recession affected the public’s willingness to support a property tax to build affordable housing for the needy. A poll taken to assess the public’s attitude toward having a renewal of the housing levy, revealed widespread support despite the recession. By a 49-point margin (24 percent to 73 percent) residents chose the statement: “In this economy, it’s more important now than ever to make sure we keep investing strongly in low-income housing programs and assistance” over “Times are really tough right now and we just can’t afford to spend as much on low-income housing programs as we could in the past.”
Only one in five residents agreed with the statement that “Seattle already spends enough to help low income residents” while 57 percent disagreed with this statement.
“Providing housing assistance to low income and homeless families” ranks fourth on a list of seven priorities for the City of Seattle (73 percent say it’s a high priority), above relieving traffic congestion, fighting global warming and reducing taxes.
Initially, nearly two thirds of residents say they believe the low-income housing levy should be continued. After hearing about the types of programs and services the levy funds, 83 percent say that the levy should be continued.
I.B.: Can you talk about the impacts of the housing levy for the Seattle community?
N.L.: The numbers speak for themselves. Close to 1,700 homes will be built through rental housing production or preservation of existing buildings with housing that will serve low- to moderate-income individuals and families, from seniors and disabled, to formerly homeless individuals and families who need supportive services. This is the largest focus of the housing levy. Because levy-funded housing provides affordable rents and services for at least 50 years, these units will serve thousands of individuals and families over the years.
In the area of rent assistance, the housing levy will help 3,025 low-income families and individuals at risk of homelessness who need help due to a family crisis such as job loss, illness, divorce or a death in the family. It is also used for “rapid rehousing” when families or individuals already have lost their homes.
The levy will also help 180 families purchase homes through a program to provide loans for low- to moderate-income first-time homebuyers. The deferred loans are repaid when the owner sells or refinances the home, and funds revolve to assist more buyers. Through financial counseling and conventional mortgages, the program ensures households don’t buy more than they can afford. Even in these tough economic times, there have been no foreclosures among families purchasing with levy loans.
By Israel Bayer, Staff writer