- Target:
- Pierce County Council
- Region:
- United States of America
Background: In 2015, Revised Code of WA (RCW) 82.14.530 was passed, authorizing a local option sales tax of 1/10 of one percent for housing and related services. The allowable services were to be directed to various categories of the population at 60% AMI or below and could include construction of affordable housing and/or supportive housing. The populations targeted to benefit from this legislation are people with behavioral health disabilities, veterans, senior citizens, people experiencing homelessness, unaccompanied homeless youth or young adults, persons with disabilities or domestic violence survivors. These are the most vulnerable of our community!
The funding that could be generated from this tax could be as high as $18-20 million per year, and the average citizen would not notice the one penny extra on their $10 purchases which would enable this urgently needed revenue. The bill originally required a vote of the people, but this is no longer the case since this requirement has been legislatively removed by HB 1590. The Pierce County Council has the ability to approve this funding now!
We, the undersigned, feel morally obligated to bring this to your attention for approval. We know a large number of our citizens desperately need housing. The need is only increasing and burdening all in our community including support services such as hospitals, police and non-profit organizations. Without housing, people are dying! We all know that housing is critical for a thriving community. Current funding is not able to meet the need of this housing crisis.
Request: We urge you to take advantage of this funding opportunity. Enact legislation now that would address these needs.
The Revenue for Housing petition to Pierce County Council was written by St. Leo's Social Commission and is in the category Affordable Housing at GoPetition.