Local communities have a range of tools they can use to promote affordable housing in a way that meets local needs. At Building Changes, we see our role as helping cities and counties to find examples from across the state and the country, and evaluate what strategies will fit their needs and create the most bang for the buck.

A big focus of our recent planning work has involved working with stakeholders in Snohomish County to identify ways of creating and preserving more affordable housing across the county. We worked closely with the Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County to develop an action plan for increasing the number of households receiving housing assistance over the next ten years. The result of our work is titled Housing within Reach: A Call to Action for Snohomish County Communities.

This past June, the Consortium hosted a "kickoff" conference for the Housing Within Reach plan. About 150 community members attended, including several members of the county and city councils. Ed Petersen from Housing Hope presented an overview of the plan, including its three central strategies for increasing affordable housing resources:

• Providing incentives for developers to create new affordable homes
• Building the capacity of nonprofit providers and housing authorities
• Creating new funding resources for affordable housing

Executive Aaron Reardon followed the presentation with a discussion of the plan's detailed recommendations and action steps, and his thoughts on the best ways to move forward.

We're enthusiastically continuing our commitment to finding affordable housing solutions across the state, and that includes working closely with stakeholders in Snohomish County. Watch this space for more information later this year, or contact me with any questions you have!