CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the Open Housing Ordinance; adding antidiscrimination protections based on a renters' use of a subsidy or verifiable alternative source of income; amending Sections 14.08.015, 14.08.020, 14.08.040, 14.08.045, 14.08.060, 14.08.070 and 14.08.190 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, in September 2014 the Council adopted Resolution 31546, in which the Mayor and Council jointly convened the Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) Advisory Committee to evaluate potential strategies to make Seattle more affordable, equitable, and inclusive; in particular to promote the development and preservation of affordable housing for residents of the City; and
WHEREAS, in July 2015, HALA published its Final Advisory Committee Recommendations and the Mayor published Housing Seattle: A Roadmap to an Affordable and Livable City, which outlines a multi-prong approach of bold and innovative solutions to address Seattle's housing affordability crisis; and
WHEREAS, in October 2015 Council proposed and adopted, with the Mayor concurring, Resolution 31622 declaring the City's intent to expeditiously consider strategies recommended by the HALA Advisory Committee; and
WHEREAS, in 2015 the HALA Advisory Committee recommended the City develop legislation to remove barriers based on income type and the Mayor included this recommendation in his Action Plan to address Seattle's Housing Affordability Crisis;
WHEREAS, for over 25 years, the City of Seattle has protected a person's right to housing using a Section 8 housing voucher (Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 14.08);
WHEREAS, Seattle's protection of a person's right to housing using a Section 8 housing voucher was unanimously passed in 1989 in response to the housing affordability crisis, at the time when between 3,000-5,000 people a night were experiencing homelessness and thousands more faced rental restrict...
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