By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is making strides to address two of Seattle’s most urgent challenges: housing and homelessness. As the cost-of-living soars and homelessness continues to affect thousands, the city is taking a comprehensive and aggressive approach to meet the crisis head-on.
In King County, 16,385 people were reported homeless in 2024—a 23% increase from 2022. Across Puget Sound, housing remains out of reach for many middle- and median-income families, and the crisis continues to destabilize lives.
Harrell believes housing is a key component of Seattle’s growth strategy.
“Housing is a critical piece of what makes a great city. Under my administration, we’ve invested over a billion dollars, and we passed a $970 million housing levy to make sure that we are rapidly and aggressively addressing affordable housing,” said Harrell. “So, what we’ve done is we’ve looked at, first of all our comprehensive plan, and we’ve addressed the need for over 300,000 units that I proposed around neighborhood centers. And so, we looked at all 84 square miles of our city to say, ‘How can we embrace growth?’”
Seattle’s One Seattle approach aims to increase housing availability and move people indoors faster, while ensuring that public spaces remain accessible. The most recent city budget includes $342 million for affordable housing—the largest investment in Seattle’s history.
“In my budget, we propose $342 million. That’s the largest in our city’s history for affordable housing,” Harrell said. “I want that teacher here. I want that social worker here. I want that barista here. So, we’re doing everything possible to make sure we get the affordability that we want.”
Under Harrell’s leadership, Seattle has invested $1 billion in affordable housing, creating thousands of homes and jobs for families, seniors, and working people. Since 2022, the city has opened more than 5,100 affordable housing units, including nearly 1,500 units of permanent supportive housing.
“Under my administration, we have made the largest investments toward affordable housing in Seattle’s history,” Harrell said. “These investments have helped open more than 5,100 units of affordable housing, including nearly 1,500 units of permanent supportive housing, since 2022.”
The city also reports an over 80% decrease in unauthorized tent encampments and a 60% reduction in RV encampments. These outcomes have been supported by record numbers of shelter referrals, placements, and connections to services. The city is also working to eliminate bureaucratic delays to speed up housing construction.
Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Update proposes to double the city’s housing capacity, address historic inequities, and offer more affordable options to residents.
“Zoning is part of the equation,” Harrell said. “Our proposal for the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan will double our zoning capacity and create at least 120,000 homes. This is the most ambitious comprehensive plan update in our city’s history, and it is also the most necessary to deliver needed housing diversity and capacity at a scale that will make a difference.”
According to Harrell, the plan is designed to bring down housing costs and maintain the character of Seattle’s unique neighborhoods, even as the city grows.
“Our plan is focused on lowering housing costs, ensuring Seattle is a great place for families, and creating livable neighborhoods,” he said. “Seattle is a city of neighborhoods – they are unique and deserve to stay that way, even as we welcome new residents and create opportunities for our kids today to continue to call Seattle home.”
Harrell’s administration views the affordability crisis as a complex challenge that requires creative and broad-based solutions.
“Responding to Seattle’s affordability crisis requires going beyond homes developed for affordable housing providers,” he said. “Our One Seattle Housing Agenda takes a multifaceted approach to a multifaceted problem.”
Harrell also voiced concern about federal policies that could undermine Seattle’s progress on housing and homelessness.
“I’m not being an alarmist when I say we should have grave concerns for what the Trump administration has in store for our city and its people,” he said. “Let me be clear, when Seattle’s local values, and our policies, and our priorities are challenged by unlawful federal actions, we will not hesitate to do everything in our power to defend our people and our rights.”
