SEATTLE—January 22, 2003—The Seattle Housing Authority will spend the next several months considering various options for rent structure for the Seattle Senior Housing Program. Meanwhile, rents for in-coming residents will remain at $210 until the beginning of the housing authority's next fiscal year, October 1, 2003.

Even though the rent policy enacted in September of 2002 would solve the financial difficulties faced by SSHP, if left in place over time it would limit access to this housing for extremely low-income seniors. Since this is not the housing authority’s long-term intent, SHA will evaluate a range of options for rent structures over the next several months.

According to SHA Deputy Director Al Levine, "We hope to identify solutions that will solve SSHP's long-term revenue needs in a way that also serves a large proportion of extremely low-income seniors."

The housing authority is beginning the process by hiring a consultant to conduct a market study. The purpose of the study is to better understand the demand for low-income senior-only housing in Seattle. After collecting this information, SHA will look at a variety of rental options, including a tiered rent structure that would price apartments within various affordability ranges. For example, an apartment with rent set at $300 would be reserved for people earning less than 30 percent of median income. A different apartment would be rented for $400 and would be reserved for applicants earning from 30 – 50 percent of median income.

A committee of interested stakeholders will assist the housing authority in evaluating new rent structures for SSHP. The first meeting of the committee is expected to take place in early February. SHA is inviting members of a broad range of organizations to participate, including the City's Office of Housing, the City’s Human Services Division, the SSHP Advocates, the Seattle Displacement Coalition, the Northwest Justice Project and the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle and King County. Two SHA Commissioners, Marie Cook and Al Winston, Jr., will also serve on the committee.

The committee's work plan calls for the group to meet about five times between now and next June, when a new proposal should be ready.