Greater Spokane Inc.: Together Stronger: Spokane Association Of REALTORS® Builds Awareness For Housing Crisis

Press release from Greater Spokane Inc.:

October 26, 2021

The housing
crisis facing Spokane County is growing and the statistics are startling. Over
the past 10 years, housing availability has decreased 94%, and Spokane County
is approximately 32,000 housing units short. On top of this shortage and current
data, only one in seven houses is considered affordable. The social and
economic toll is considerable since lack of housing impacts everyone —neighbors,
including renters, first-time homebuyers and homeowners but also businesses, home
builders, small business owners and governmental organizations.

Spokane Association
of REALTORS® created a program to get the conversation going and invite the
community to take action through its “Together Stronger” campaign. Armed with
data that identifies the negative impact to economic development and the social
costs to children and families, Spokane Association of REALTORS® is a beacon to
shine light on the issues of Spokane county’s housing crisis and activate our
community to get involved.

Earlier in
2021, Spokane Association of REALTORS® hosted the Spokane Region Housing Needs
Summit 2021. The summit brought together economists and housing experts to
analyze the impact on the region. Some key findings included:

Together
Stronger™ Goals

Three goals
have been identified as part of the Together Stronger™ housing crisis campaign.
The first goal is to build greater awareness regarding the true impact of the
housing shortage. Spokane Association of REALTORS® is working with Greater
Spokane, Inc., The Home Builders Association and local business leaders to
highlight the true economic impacts facing our community.

The second goal
is to hear directly from citizens across Greater Spokane County to understand
the impact, both personally and professionally. Lack of housing impacts the
academic and physical health of students – no matter the grade level. Small
business owners are also impacted as fewer residents due to less housing
available and less disposable income due to increasing rents. With decreased
sales and lower taxes come less revenue to support vital social services across
Greater Spokane County.

Finally, the
third goal is to create a conduit to government leaders and policy makers so
they can hear from their constituents. Responsible land use, zoning and other
policies must be examined and addressed in order to solve the many issues
related to the housing crisis. Across the border, Idaho has experienced more
home starts and greater numbers of housing units as land is more readily
available.

The housing
crisis did not happen overnight nor will we be able to solve it immediately.
But you can make a difference by sharing your story and working with community
members to put a spotlight on the need to take action and move the conversation
forward. Today.

How the Housing
Crisis Has Impacted You

Visit Spokane Association of REALTORS® website https://www.spokanerealtor.com/together-stronger/ to learn more about the impact to our community and share your story of how the lack of housing is affecting you. Together We Are Stronger. 

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This press release was produced by Greater Spokane Inc.. The views expressed here are the author’s own.