The University of Washington has launched the Housing Futures Center in Washington state, uniting experts to address housing affordability and policy.
SEATTLE — A new effort to address the housing crisis is up and running in Washington state. In a room full of local housing leaders, what started as an idea came to fruition on Wednesday.
The Puget Sound Regional Council introduced the Housing Futures Center, the first of its kind in Washington.
“I want a state where people can thrive,” said Gregg Colburn, founder and director of the Housing Futures Center. “And one of the ways to thrive is to make sure that you have housing that’s affordable for you.”
Colburn, who is also a UW professor, brought together a team of 20 faculty, staff and students, all working to help shape the rules that decide what gets built and who can afford it.
“We’re not going to build housing. right? There are other people that are going to build housing,” he said. “We aren’t going to pass laws, there are other people who do that. So our goal is to support the other folks that are doing that.”
In a room like this, those decision-makers are everywhere – including Daniel Malone.
“One thing i really look forward to is kind of having a shared set of information that we can all draw on. and that i think is gonna really improve our ability to get on the same page,” said Malone, the executive director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center.
The Housing Futures Center will collect data from across the state, tracking housing supply, affordability, and the barriers people face – all with the goal of giving leaders a shared playbook and training the next generation to take it on.
The project is also drawing attention at the state level with Gov. Bob Ferguson saying: “I look forward to the housing futures centers contributions to that important and ongoing work.”
Local businesses and organizations have stepped in with nearly $2 million in funding, helping turn the Housing Futures Center into a public-private partnership.
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