The City of Seattle must take concrete steps to address the multi-generational impacts of discriminatory housing policies like redlining and racial covenants on Black homeowners. These policies created significant, compounding wealth gaps that make it harder for Black households to afford critical home repairs, maintenance, and upgrades - leading to deteriorating housing conditions and displacement pressures.
While the draft Comprehensive Plan acknowledges some of these injustices, it falls short in providing direct, substantive support for impacted legacy Black homeowners still feeling the economic effects today.
The recommendations from the Black Legacy Homeowners Organization (BLHO) offer a roadmap for centering equity.
1. Expand existing policies like Community Preference and the use of economically distressed zip codes (EDZ’s) (e.g. 98122, 98144, 98118, 98178) to allow legacy homeowners in those areas to access home repair, weatherization, utility efficiency and equitable development programs/funds.
2. Modify home repair, weatherization, utility efficiency programs to raise income eligibility to 100-120% Area Median Income for homeowners in community preference and economically distressed zip code areas.
3. Target outreach and resources to historically redlined neighborhoods like the Central District to support homeowners improve aging housing stock and develop new intergenerational stock.
4. Increase funding through public/philanthropic sources to allow expanded development for Legacy Homeowners in EDZs without reducing existing beneficiaries.
5. Implement anti-displacement measures like property tax relief in EDZs and legacy affordability covenants. These policies directly acknowledge the specific harms from decades of official discrimination.
Providing upgraded homes, affordability resources, and community investment begins rectifying those injustices tangibly. In today's housing crisis with supply shortages driving displacement, the city must prioritize protecting impacted existing residents over focusing solely on new development.
The modest homebuilding targets are insufficient without robust anti-displacement policies.
By implementing the BLHO's recommendations, including the expanded use of community preference and distressed zip codes to allow legacy homeowners access to vital home repair and efficiency programs, Seattle can promote housing justice, improve living conditions, reduce cultural displacement, and create an equitable, sustainable, affordable city for all.
