Who: Rep. Jamila Taylor, D-Federal Way, sponsor of HB 1474
Rep. Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, co-sponsor of HB 1474
Lt. Gov. Denny Heck
Patience Malaba, Executive Director, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County
Shaun Scott, Statewide Poverty Action Network
What: Media availability following the public hearing on House Bill 1474, which would establish the Covenant Homeownership Account
When: Monday, February 6, at 3:30 p.m.
Where: House Hearing Room C, John L. O’Brien Building
Why: Generations of systemic, racist, and discriminatory policies have formed barriers to homeownership for Black, Indigenous, and people of color and other historically marginalized communities in Washington state. To date, racially restricted covenants have been identified in more than 40,000 property deeds across the state. Consequently, the target groups still feel the impact of this discrimination today, and it is especially pronounced in Black communities. House Bill 1474, sponsored by Rep. Taylor, would establish a covenant homeownership account and program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to groups of people identified in a covenant homeownership program study. Participants must also be first-time homebuyers with income limitations and meet other criteria. Establishment of such an account and program would help thousands of people to achieve homeownership and help remedy the well-documented past practices of discrimination in the real estate industry in Washington state.