Rep. Nicole Macri at the September affordable housing forum (Image: CHS)

Nobody in Washington rents like the queer communities living across Capitol Hill and the Central District rent. Political and community leaders say there could be new opportunities in Olympia to address the climbing rents in the city’s core causing continued displacement among the city’s LGBTQIA+ population.

Advocates and legislators met in September with the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance to discuss rent stabilization and support, where House Bill 2114— which passed in the House and died in the Senate this past year — took up much of the conversation and was the’ go-to answer when responding to community questions about how they will improve the lives of renters.

A National Low Income Housing Coalition report this summer found that workers in the Seattle and Bellevue areas would need to earn $50.87 per hour to afford a two-bedroom unit.

A recent University of Washington graduate spoke about their experiences with renting in Seattle.

“The lack of stable rents really makes me feel as if Seattle doesn’t want to support young people, especially those who are all about improving their communities and not just making a big salary,” the renter said.

“It’s likely I won’t be able to stay in Capitol Hill at a certain point due to a future rent increase.”

The challenges for renters in Seattle hit the city’s LGBTQIA+ communities especially hard.

“LGBTQIA+ individuals have been priced out of Seattle, yet many are still having to commute back into the city for work and affirming healthcare,” Taylor Farley, executive director of Queer Power Alliance said. “This dynamic has created significant challenges related to housing security, economic stability, and quality of life for our community members.”

Michele Thomas, director of policy and advocacy for the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, says the continued failure to enact legislation to stabilize renter households is “allowing unchecked rising rent to displace tens of thousands of renters from their communities” which drives them away from neighborhoods and communities “where they’ve forged deep roots, worked to create safe space, and cultural connection.”

Speaking at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance event, local state leaders said queer displacement should add increased urgency to solutions that will help all Washington renters.

“The state needs to continue to invest in supporting people who will struggle for a long time into getting into private market housing,” Rep. Nicole Macri said. “I’m looking at some policy to look at some of our short-term subsidy programs that, maybe, 15 years ago were a good idea…but now what we hear is that when their short-term subsidy runs out, they’re off the cliff, they can’t afford the rent for the place they’re in.”

Macri said she has been working on a rent stabilization bill for years and thinks HB 2114 was one that struck a nice balance in conversations and deliberations. HB 2114 will be reintroduced in 2025, and would cap late fees, require a six month notice for all rent increases of 3% or more, and allow for maximum rent raises of 5%.

“We have the potential in the next couple of months to change the dynamics, really dramatically, in the Senate,” Rep. Jamie Pedersen said.

Pedersen says he feels bullish about Democrats scooping four seats in the Senate that are currently held by Republicans. Pedersen said flipping those seats would create a two-thirds majority, allowing them to propose constitutional amendments in the Senate.

“At 33 votes, we have a really exciting opportunity in front of us, which is that one of the core drivers of housing costs in our state—and a significant disincentive for landlords to produce more affordable housing—is this tucked away in the constitution, which is called the ‘Uniformity Clause’,” Pedersen said.

The Uniformity Clause states that all property taxes in Washington must be set at the same rate, which Pedersen said has prevented progressive property taxation. If the Senate can hit a two-thirds majority, Pedersen said voters would have the opportunity to make an amendment that allows the creation of homestead exemptions on primary residences, which would flow onto multi-family properties.

“We have the potential, really, to do something that could dramatically increase the incentive to produce affordable housing in our state, and in the long run, I totally agree in the short-run, given the stories that we’ve heard, some sort of rent stabilization…is going to help people stay in the communities that they’re in,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen supports HB 2114, and was asked what he would do to ensure the passage of this bill without amending and potentially damaging it. Pedersen said he has a strong desire to pass a rent stabilization package of bills to address affordable housing challenges, and is excited to have a new housing committee chairperson.

“I am heartened that we have the groundwork laid,” Pedersen said. “I’m feeling bullish on the prospects for making significant progress for 2025.”

Macri said one feature of the bill is having the Attorney General provide enforcement to ensure statewide compliance.

“Any bill that has a financial impact is going to be more challenging this session that it was in previous sessions,” Macri said. “I’m assuming it’ll remain a high priority bill for the House.”

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