Housing Washington looks to resolve conflicts that block housing for homeless people

Housing developers and local governments can now go through a state-led dispute resolution process if a city refuses to permit emergency and temporary housing for people who are homeless.

Earlier this month, the Department of Commerce launched the program to encourage more permitting of shelters, transitional and emergency homes, and permanent supportive housing, which includes services like mental health support or employment resources.

By 2044, Washington needs more than 1.1 million new homes, including 220,000 emergency and temporary housing units across the state. Counties, cities and towns are required to accommodate some of this housing under their land use and zoning plans, but permitting these projects at the local level can be difficult.

“There’s a lot of communities that are doing great things to allow this housing, but there are also a lot of communities that are having trouble accepting these targets and planning for them because there’s a lot of fear about what they could entail,” said Laura Hodgson, housing planning and data manager at the Department of Commerce.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/10/15/washington-looks-to-resolve-conflicts-that-block-housing-for-homeless-people/