Ballard Food Bank Endorses I-135

Ballard Food Bank believes access to food is a human right, as is access to housing, education, and healthcare. Lack of access to these fundamental rights is a direct result of systemic racism and other systemic injustices that lead to poverty.

We endorse Initiative 135, a grassroots ballot initiative that we believe is a step toward solving the urgent homelessness crisis that faces our city. Every day, we witness first-hand the negative impact of a lack of affordable housing on our neighbors - children, families, and individuals. We urge our community to vote in this Special Election. A reminder that ballots are due on or before February 14.

There have been a lot of questions and conversations around this initiative. We understand as the issues of housing, affordability, and homelessness are complex.

What is not complex, however, is that families, students, seniors, artists, workers in the service industry and more are struggling to find a place to live in our city that is affordable today and tomorrow. As a city we need to explore more ways to bring affordability to our residents. This is why we are supporting Initiative 135.

We need more tools, ideas, and revenue to create affordable housing and end homelessness. We see this as a step towards prevention and creating more affordable options for our community members.

There shouldn’t be just one way we tackle housing, but if we can find synergy and create multiple pathways for people to have housing then we can address the homelessness crisis. It’s not an ‘either/or’ situation but a ‘both/and’.

This initiative complements the work of other housing initiatives. We need to invest in housing solutions that address the diverse socioeconomic needs of our city. Which means we need to renew key initiatives, such as the Seattle Housing Levy this fall. At the end of the day, we must find ways to make the funding pie larger for all forms of housing. One step to ending homelessness is prevention. Prevention calls for housing affordability, and that is what so many in our community need.

We lift up the voices of Estela Ortega, Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza and Shalimar Gonzales, CEO of Solid Ground, in this piece originally published in the Seattle Times on Friday, January 20, 2023. Read Take Action: Vote yes on I-135: Social housing for a diversity of incomes will give everyone an opportunity to thrive.

Please vote today.