Be a Smart Renter for Affordable Housing Week, May 15-22, 2017

By Mandy Rusch, Digital Design Project Assistant, Project on Family Homelessness

The second annual Affordable Housing Week was May 15-22 2017. There were some big events, including one we hosted on campus on May 18 on being a smart renter. Thank you for everyone who joined us- here is what was going on during the week.

What is Affordable Housing Week?

Affordable Housing Week is a time to highlight the need for affordable housing, and advocate for solutions to preserve and create more affordable housing in cities and throughout King County. It’s hosted by our partners at Housing Development Consortium (HDC).

During this week we:

• Discussed affordable housing strategies for our communities
• Made a plan to engage
• Celebratet our progress since last Affordable Housing Week

HDC’s vision is that every person has a safe, healthy, and affordable home within a community of opportunity.

For a complete list of events and information, visit HDC’s website.

Renters’ Rights 101: Our campus event during Affordable Housing Week

To get the Seattle University community involved in Affordable Housing Week again, our project team put together an event called Renters’ Rights 101. This is something all three of our students — Khadija, Shan and me — felt was important to get educated about as we prepare to graduate.

We partnered up with Tenants Union of Washington State, Be:Seattle and Capitol Hill Housing to create a workshop designed to help prepare attendees to rent in Seattle for the first time.

The workshop included:

• A quick overview of standard practices and important things for first-time renters to know before entering a rental contract.
• How tenants can have a voice in creating opportunities for renters in Seattle, including the new Capitol Hill Renter Initiative.
• Q&A with the speakers.

 

Looking back on last year’s Affordable Housing Week

During the inaugural Affordable Housing Week last year, the SU project team hosted a campus conversation about affordable housing, including a screening of our American Refugees animated short films. Our project team students Lindsey Habenicht and Amy Phung were the drivers of the event.

We invited students, faculty, and the community to explore how the affordable housing crisis affects SU students, and the role our campus plays in the crisis. Our discussion leaders included Lindy Boustedt, producer of the American Refugees films; Kent Koth of SU’s Center for Community Engagement; Brian Lloyd of Beacon Development Group; and SGSU student body president-elect Carlos Rodriguez.

There was also a photo booth, hosted by Firesteel, where attendees were invited to take pictures to show their support for affordable housing.

The week had begun with a proclamation from Fr. Sundborg declaring May 16-22 as Affordable Housing Week at SU, joining 20 King County cities and King County itself. SU was the only university to do so.

 

My predecessor, Amy, also designed last year’s Affordable Housing Week logo for HDC, which HDC modified so that it can be used again this year.

 

Thank you for everyone who participated! We can’t wait to see Affordable Housing Week grow even more next year.