Join us to create a King County Equitable Development Initiative!
Background:
Over the last year, a group of BIPOC-led community organizations throughout King County have crafted a vision for long-term stability of our neighborhoods through community-driven and owned development that is not vulnerable to speculation. We have asked, as an initial step, for King County to establish an Equitable Development Initiative (KC EDI) which would invest must needed funds in community-led land stewardship projects at all stages of the development process, including affordable housing, space for small businesses, and cultural facilities.
Why We Need a King County EDI:
Many of our BIPOC neighborhoods have experienced multiple waves of gentrification and displacement, and we have watched our neighbors and communities get pushed out multiple times. With the increasing price of land, and the extreme vulnerabilities created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the time is now for all of us across King County to work together to put land in the hands of BIPOC communities.
While the City of Seattle has offered funding and opportunities for BIPOC communities to lead their own land development projects (primarily through Seattle EDI) in the last few years, communities outside Seattle that are also greatly impacted by rapid gentrification and displacement do not have similar resources. In addition, most capital financing for development is only for affordable housing; to create community anchors for families, we need resources for communities to develop their own culturally responsive and intergenerational solutions to meet their small businesses, child care, cultural centers, social services, and recreation needs. A King County EDI can meet these needs.
Join the over 30 community-based organizations that support this campaign!
Africatown Community Land Trust; Al Noor Center; Asian Counseling and Referral Service; Balorico Dance; Black and Tan Hall; Cham Refugees Community; Chief Seattle Club; The Church Council of Greater Seattle; Debre Mihret Kidus St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Church; Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group; Estelita's Library; Equity in Education Coalition; Friends of Little Saigon; Futurewise; Global Human Services; Got Green; Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County; Interim Community Development Association; Lake City Collective; Living Well Kent; Multicultural Community Coalition; Na'ah Illahee Fund; Puget Sound Sage; Rainier Beach Action Coalition; The Rhapsody Project; Sightline Institute; Sustainable Seattle; Somali Health Board; SouthCORE; Tenants Union of WA; Villa Comunitaria; Washington State Coalition of African Community Leaders; West Hill Community Association; White Center Community Development Association; Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience; y?haw? Indigenous Creatives Collective; and more!
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