I-135 Social Housing and 2/14 Special Election!

Vote Yes on I-135!

What is Social Housing?
Social Housing is publicly owned and permanently affordable. It creates cross-class communities and renter leadership. There are four pillars to Social Housing integral to I-135.

1. Publicly Owned. 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, with specific measures prohibiting the sale and marketization of social housing to ensure it remains in the public’s hands, for public use.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Resistant Leadership. Residents have democratic decision making power and have control over the conditions of their buildings and homes.

For more information on how Social Housing complements existing affordable housing, information on rent burdened populations in Seattle, how Social Housing will be funded, and more, visit the House our Neighbors website.

Want to help your Union advocate for Social Housing and the upcoming election?
Share information about I-135 from this email, our website, and our socials with your co-residents and fellows! You can also follow House Our Neighbors on all socials @houseourneighbors for more highlights and details about the initiative.

Join board members and MLK Labor this Saturday, Feb 4 from 2-5pm at Dahl Field in Ravennato knock on community member doors and canvass for Seattle Social Housing to help others prepare for the Special Election. You can RSVP here.

We will be hosting a texting campaign to GOTV next week and ensure your co-residents and fellows are prepared for Election Day (TBD based on member availability, but most likely the evening of Monday, Feb 6 or Wednesday, Feb 8). We’ll be providing registration and voting information and answering member questions. Email us at admin@rfpu.org for more details.

Register to Vote:
The King County Special Election is coming up! Make sure you are registered to vote. You have until February 6 to register online or by mail; or February 14 by 8pm to register in person at your County Elections Office. If you have not received your ballot and you are registered to vote, you can request a replacement ballot or print it online through your local County Elections website. You can also submit your registration via mail. If you have not received your ballot via mail by now, call the KC Elections Office at (206) 296-8683. Visit the King County registration page for more information.

Don’t know if you’re registered to vote? Check the status here.

Submitting Your Ballot:
You’ve filled out your ballot, now what? If you are voting by mail, you must locate your ballot drop box. If voting in person, you must go to your designated Voting Center. Here is a map to identify ballot boxes and Voting Centers by county. You can find your nearest King County ballot box here.

If you have any questions about being a new Washington voter, updating your registration, methods of voting, how to submit your ballot, etc. don’t hesitate to email us at admin@rfpu.org.