One of the most emotional conversations I continue hearing throughout our communities involves housing.

Young adults wonder if they will ever be able to buy a home.

Parents worry their children may not be able to afford to stay in the communities where they grew up.

Retirees on fixed incomes are increasingly concerned about property taxes, rent increases, and affordability.

And working families — even families earning decent incomes — often feel squeezed from every direction.

People are asking:
How did ordinary homeownership become unattainable for so many people?

Housing affordability is not just a Seattle issue anymore.

It affects communities throughout Washington, including the 28th District.

Higher home prices, increasing property taxes, rising interest rates, insurance costs, permitting expenses, labor shortages, infrastructure challenges, and regulatory complexity have all contributed to the problem.

At the same time, renters are facing rising monthly costs that often leave little room for savings or long-term financial stability.

Many residents support the need for additional housing and thoughtful development. But they also worry about whether state and local policies are making affordability worse instead of better.

People want solutions that are realistic and balanced:

• increasing housing supply responsibly
• protecting neighborhoods
• supporting infrastructure
• encouraging development where appropriate
• reducing unnecessary barriers and delays
• and ensuring working families are not permanently priced out of the communities they helped build

Housing policy should not only focus on theory.

It should focus on whether ordinary people can realistically afford to live here.

That includes:

• teachers
• nurses
• police officers
• firefighters
• tradespeople
• young families
• seniors
• and small business owners

Because communities lose something important when only the wealthy can afford to stay.

The frustration many people feel is not rooted in opposition to growth.

It is rooted in fear that Washington is becoming financially inaccessible to the very people who keep communities functioning every day.

That is not sustainable long term.

And it is something leadership should take seriously.

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Resources for Independent Review

• Washington State Department of Commerce Housing Data
• Zillow Housing Market Reports
• U.S. Census Housing Data
• Washington Realtors Housing Affordability Index
• Washington State Office of Financial Management Population Reports