By Paul Benz / For The Herald
Faith-based housing advocates often use the phrase ‘there’s no more room in the Inn’ as we fight to create more affordable housing. We use this phrase because in the Bible, that’s what the inn keeper told Mary and Joseph as they looked for a place to stay in Bethlehem for Mary to give birth to her son named Jesus. The couple ended up outside in a tent-city-like situation to give birth.
Housing and homelessness have changed much in 2000 plus years, but the fact remains that it takes all of us in this village to create safe, healthy and affordable homes for everyone. That includes neighbors, investors, builders, landlords, lawmakers, renters, people who are homeless, the faith community and housing organizations.
Too often the struggle to create more affordable homes gets lost in the so-called “halls of power” from the local level up to the state and Congress, with the fight ending up between the for-profit associations and housing advocates. Even though we gained a lot last session in Olympia to protect renters (SB 1406) and make sure there would be more local funding for affordable homes ($175 million for the state Housing Trust Fund and new local options for affordable housing investments) among other victories, there is still so much more work to do.
We desperately need commitment from people and lawmakers of all political persuasions to ensure that more is done to solve our affordable housing and homelessness crisis. This means passing stronger protections to keep people in their homes as well as ensuring more funding for affordable housing and addressing the impediments to building affordable housing so it can be done quicker and more efficiently.
On tenant protections, one of the most contentious pieces of the affordable housing solution, much of the economic and legal power resides with landlords. As religious leaders we’re calling on the landlord community to stay open and be faithful in the continued negotiations to keep existing and future housing affordable, stable and safe. We need a present and future with enough room in the inn for all who seek it.
The Rev. Paul Benz, an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, is co-director of Faith Action Network, a statewide nonprofit interfaith advocacy organization.
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