A successful short session for housing justice priorities

The 2026 legislative session was a whirlwind 60 days that resulted in some real wins for housing justice priorities.  

The successes in the 2026 legislative session were made possible by the persistence of advocates across the state who emailed, signed in to support bills, and testified to move bills forward and hold their lawmakers accountable. Our movement faced fierce opposition on many important bills that ultimately passed and were signed by the Governor!  

Support for statewide housing and homelessness interventions  

House Bill 2266 passed legalizing permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and shelter in residential zones while outlawing local ordinances and actions that delay, deny, or otherwise block these life-saving homelessness solutions. After several years of effort, passage of this bill will prevent situations like what happened in Kenmore, when the city council rejected a 100-unit permanent supportive housing development after more than a year of planning. That decision halted a fully funded project that would have provided housing for people exiting homelessness. It was ultimately welcomed in Redmond, but the delay caused 100 people to remain homeless longer than they should have.  

Two other important bills passed this session allow local governments to use existing affordable housing funds to preserve critical housing programs that are at risk of losing federal support due to the Trump administration's efforts to cut funding for affordable housing and homelessness services.  

Senate Bill 6027 focused directly on flexibility for funding affordable housing and homelessness programs, while House Bill 2442 had a similar focus on affordable housing and homelessness programs, along with the opportunity for local governments to impose a new 0.01% sales tax to support services for children and families.    

Investments in critical housing justice programs   

The final operating budget included $3 million to sustain funding for the statewide Right to Counsel program that provides legal assistance to tenants facing loss of their home through an eviction.   

The operating budget also included $15 million for permanent supportive housing, the most effective long-term homelessness intervention, which is being actively undermined by Trump administration efforts to defund and roll back federal support for this proven model.  

The final capital budget included more than $197 million in additional investment in the Housing Trust Fund – a historic investment in a supplemental budget year. This investment during a tough budget period shows the strength of our advocacy for affordable housing. Overall, lawmakers have invested more than $800 million in the capital budget for affordable housing during the current two-year budget period! Without advocacy, there wouldn't be the political will to make this level of investment.   

Progressive revenue passes   

After a mammoth effort in both the House and Senate, lawmakers passed a Millionaires Tax that will go into effect in 2029 and will be paid by the less than one percent of the wealthiest households in Washington. The tax will only apply to annual income over $1 million.    

Estimates show that the Millionaires Tax will generate $3.7 billion annually, and that money can be used to support critical programs and services funded out of the state general fund including public education, health care, homeless services, food security, and other essential services that Washington families rely on.