Join me on Paddy's Day at Rendezvous in Belltown for Irish music, drinks, and readings from Bittersweet Lane linking Irish history to our present day housing crisis in the U.S. rendezvous.squarespace.com/events/irish...
Yeah it's a shame I couldn't publish in another daily newspaper in Seattle.
"Seattle didn't vote for a jobs program or a nicer landlord. We voted to develop social housing." www.seattletimes.com/opinion/soci...
Tax billionaires out of existence.
Was it not always? Has been since before I was born, and I'm need-to-stretch-before-I-type years old
This is not a hypothetical fear. My piece focused on three countries — Brazil, South Korea, and Poland — where elected authoritarians were too blatant and their opponents did a good job persuading key audiences that the democratic threat was real.
The result, in each case, was authoritarian defeat.
Next redistricting we need to stop letting Queen Anne & Magnolia represent Downtown & Belltown
And if you want more of Katie's trying to prioritize right wing solutions on housing while sounding liberal, read this piece. www.thestranger.com/katie-wilson...
Pulling permanent housing money to other priorities to maintain budgets at SPD is exactly Sara Nelson.
I don't think she will. But I am horrified that she puts OH money on the table before sweeps and SPD money.
And on a personal note, the Mayor is wildly dismissive about the blanketing of my neighborhood with SPD cameras. "It's just 1% of the city," and a false statement that the cameras are limited to 3rd Ave. Good to know we're the chunk of the city that never counts in city hall.
Extremely telling when someone identifies with the cops and not the people struggling. Extremely telling when someone thinks it's ok to steal from perm housing to temp housing but can't imagine not throwing money at cops.
Woah. The mayor said some WILD things about housing and homelessness. The ambition on sweeps is to make “the experience of folks during encampment removals better” and redirecting money for affordable housing to shelter is on the table. These are Sara Nelson policies. What a disappointment
It is not desirable given the rate environment. It's a waste based on conventional advice learned under very different circumstances. And it's not like they are planning to build anything at all for several years. They are planning to give money to existing owners to take over existing buildings.
I guess it's 3 years on their powerpoint and 5 years from their CEO hire. Bonding comes at a high cost, especially in the current rate environment. That means that bonding the otherwise free to the developer social housing money diverts a large chunk of that money to pay bankers (their ROI)
Might a preservation acquisition or replacing a very bad landlord with a completely inexperienced but well-meaning landlord be helpful? Maybe. Will it help solve the housing crisis? Absolutely not. #seattle #socialhousing
Seattle voted to tax itself to create social housing. Somehow instead, we have a Seattle Social Housing Developer that will not build anything new for five years and intends to issue bonds, tying it to providing ROI to private investors
Jamie reading several serious and also funny and smart passages
Community room design by community years ago
Multigenerations in affordable housing; everyone wants to improve their neighborhood!
Awesome resource fair!
What an amazing event from Cedar Crossing Tenants Association that brought together a renters resources fair w/ @beseattleorg.bsky.social @houseourneighbors.bsky.social & more; cohosted by us & RNA; buy @jmaddenmass.bsky.social book, Bittersweet Lane; (audiobook is good!) borrow from @spl.org
Tomorrow night at 6pm, the Cedar Crossing Tenants Association and @sharethecities.bsky.social are hosting an event for renters featuring @jmaddenmass.bsky.social! We'll be there tabling and hope you'll come say hi! RSVP to save your seat at the link below
Damn the out of town cops sure are having fun in #Seattle after the #seahawks parade
Next Wednesday — for you, affordable housing tenants in the Seattle area — take light rail for a resource fair, food, community & hear from author @jmaddenmass.bsky.social about growing up in affordable housing & then helping buildings get built! Registration required - space is limited!
Map showing all Bellwether housing buildings across the region
Are you an affordable housing resident in Bellwether Housing? We are cohosting an event on February 11th & would like to invite YOU to attend! This is hosted by the Cedar Crossing Tenants Association. We will have a book talk from @jmaddenmass.bsky.social
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bitter...
Seattle, the Cedar Crossing Tenants Association and Share the Cities invited me to discuss Bittersweet Lane: Affordable Housing in America. Join us next Wednesday, February 11th www.eventbrite.com/e/cedar-cros...
Big thanks to Phinney Books who is supporting an event we are supporting, hosted by Cedar Crossing Tenants Association
📖 📣 @jmaddenmass.bsky.social We are excited to bring together the local neighborhood association, staff from @bellwetherhousing.bsky.social and local tenant rights groups!
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If I had a magic wand, how would I fix #affordablehousing ? It's the three legged stool of money, permissions, and residents' rights. Because #housing is not a human right; it's a human necessity.
Health insurance went from $900/month to $2805/month. I don't know what to do.
It will be a tragedy if Seattle misses the opportunity to do social housing well www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Recap of last month's tour youtu.be/vObFHGLqdko Endless gratitude to the few hundred of you who came out in freezing cold to discuss how to solve our affordable housing crisis!
The federal government attacks on all fronts. This project (also featured in my book) is the type of work that can solve our housing crisis. That is why the feds attack it. Glad to see funding protected for now. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/12/b...
Use everything you have. Act and prepare now.
Live in a condo? What's your HOA's policy on ICE and do your property managers have a process?
On a PTA? What's your school's plan for an ICE raid?
Youth sports? What's the plan to keep kids safe?
