Senator Murray Continues Pushing to Address Housing Crisis, Secures $2 Million To Build Affordable Housing in Bellingham

Sen. Murray meets with Bellingham Mayor Fleetwood, Whatcom County Exec Sidhu, and Opportunity Council leaders to discuss how federal funds are helping build affordable housing in Bellingham

Senator Murray: “Families of every size, in every corner of our state, are struggling to find a place to call home or to make ends meet due to rent or mortgage payments they can’t afford.”

***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL OF THE ROUNDTABLE HERE***

(Bellingham, WA) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, hosted a roundtable with local leaders on the $2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) she secured for the Bellingham Opportunity Council to construct a new housing facility for families with children. At the roundtable, which included leaders from the Opportunity Council, Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood, and Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, Senator Murray discussed her continuing fight for transformational federal investments in housing.

The roundtable was hosted at Laurel Forest, an affordable housing complex run by the Opportunity Council, which supports seniors with limited income. The Opportunity Council was able to start construction and retrofit this complex thanks to funding from the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, County investments, and the American Rescue Plan—which Senator Murray was a leader in passing. This year, Senator Murray also secured $2 million in CDS funding for the Opportunity Council to go towards constructing a new affordable housing facility focused on families with children. The new housing project will include child care services for families.

“Families of every size, in every corner of our state, are struggling to find a place to call home or to make ends meet due to rent or mortgage payments they can’t afford,” said Senator Murray. “To solve this crisis, we need to build more affordable housing. That’s why I was so proud to secure $2 million in federal funding for the Opportunity Council to construct a new housing facility for families with children—and why I won’t stop fighting for them in the Senate. Investments like these give families more than a place to sleep at night, and a roof over their heads, they give them the stability and support services they need to get back on their feet.”

“We are pleased to support this much-needed form of housing for seniors with limited incomes. This is a vulnerable population that is a priority for our care and support,” said Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood. “Serving families is a top priority for the City as well and we continue to make strides in serving the child-care needs of working parents. We are glad for our partnership with Whatcom County and the Opportunity Council for projects such as this one and we’re very grateful to Senator Murray for her support.”

“In recent years we’ve unfortunately seen a substantial increase in families experiencing homelessness. As a community we have to do everything we can to help people stay safe,” said Greg Winter, Executive Director of the Opportunity Council. “I want to thank Senator Murray for also helping us get an early appropriations for a future project that is focused on family homelessness.”

“Housing remains an ongoing challenge in Whatcom County, but thanks in part to the initiatives of Senator Murray we’ve seen an increase in federal housing investments in recent years,” said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu. “I hope for continued cooperation and innovation across all levels of government to improve families’ access to housing and ensure that our most vulnerable have a safe and secure place to call home.”

Senator Murray has been a strong advocate for housing investments, securing more than $400 million in rental assistance, $170 million in homeowner assistance, over 2,400 new Emergency Housing Vouchers, and nearly $100 million for housing and services to support people experiencing homelessness in Washington state through the American Rescue Plan. These federal investments resulted in the largest eviction prevention effort in history.

Earlier this year, Senator Murray also announced $143.6 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding for Washington state from the American Rescue Plan, in addition to annual federal appropriations, that would go to families with low-incomes to help with utility and energy costs during the winter. In May, Senator Murray questioned U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Marcia Fudge on the homelessness crisis and the inadequate supply of affordable housing—and reiterated her commitment to pushing for a major federal investment to tackle the national housing and homelessness crisis.

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