Olympia For All
A Housing Justice Initiative
Housing Instability is a serious problem for far too many families in our community.
Housing instability leads to:
- Homelessness
- An unstable workforce
- Mental health decline
- Poor student performance
Research shows that the #1 cause of Housing Instability is Rental Cost Overburden.
When a tenant must pay over 30% of their income for rent, they are cost overburdened and therefore much more likely to experience housing instability. The average renter household median income in Olympia is $32,700 and 30% of that income corresponds to $818/month rent. However, the Fair Market Rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in Olympia in 2021 was $1,241. Therefore, the average renter in Olympia must dedicate over 45% of their monthly income toward rent.
The prevalence of renter cost overburden is causing increased homelessness and housing instability for far too many working families and individuals in Olympia.
What is the Olympia for All Initiative?
It addresses the rise in housing instability by slowing the rapid rise in the cost of rent and providing better protections from evictions that are due to inability to pay.
Olympia For All will:
- Discourage extreme raises in rent. If landlords raise rents over 5%, forcing tenants to leave, they must pay tenant relocation assistance equal to 3-months rent.
- Require 6-month notice for all rent increases. Allow tenants to break lease without penalty within that period if they need to find other housing.
- Cap late fees to a specified percentage of the tenants’ rent.
- Ban winter evictions or evictions of kids during the school-year.
- Ban rent increases where outstanding code violations exist.
Help prevent homelessness and stabilize housing for working Olympians.
Join the Olympia for All Campaign for Housing Justice in Olympia!
In order to successfully make the 2024 General Election ballot, we are asking for coalition partners to join us by 12/1/2023.
For further questions regarding this campaign, email Dave Toler: tolerd@gmail.com.