Social Housing is removed from the profit motive, available to all, permanently affordable and held as a public good in perpetuity.
In 2023, we created the Seattle Social Housing Developer through Initiative 135. Now it’s time to fund I-135.
The Four Pillars of Social Housing
Publicly Owned
Under a social housing model, specific policy measures prohibit the sale and marketization of social housing to ensure it remains in the public's hands, for public use.
Unlike traditional affordable housing, as dictated by the Federal Government, social housing doesn’t have an affordability time limit. This housing stock remains a public good forever.
Permanently Affordable
Under a social housing model, rent is not determined by the market and profit motives. Rent is determined by the buildings loan balance, upkeep, and maintenance needs.
Free From Market Speculation
Social housing is publicly financed and controlled, with the express aim of housing people, not extracting profit. Renters and their homes are shielded from the free market, as the housing is seen, and held, as a public good.
Cross-Class Communities
Social housing is available to all, from those with the lowest incomes up to moderate-to-high income households. Rents are designed to match the specific income levels of all tenants. This is crucial given the severe rent burden faced by residents across the income spectrum, especially residents from marginalized communities. It’s hard for people making 60-120% of the Area Median Income to find housing they can afford.
Social housing complements existing affordable housing.
Learn more about social housing
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“Affordable Housing” Schemes Fail Because They Don’t Advocate for Public Housing
by Camille Gix, Grayson Lookner, Tiffani McCoy
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![Center for Public Enterprise]()
The Basic Logistics of Public Development
by Paul Elliot Williams
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Social Housing in the U.S.
by Oksana Mironova and Thomas J. Waters
