John Lovick for State Senator, 44th legislative district!
Written by Gian Mitchell, Community Organizing Fellow
The Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund is excited to highlight our endorsement of Senator John Lovick. Senator Lovick has over 3 decades of experience working at various levels of government to make our shared vision of Washington a reality.
Responding to our 2020 candidate questionnaire, Sen. Lovick shared, “There are few issues more important or intersectional than housing. I will fight every day for affordable homes and affordable communities. People need to live in healthy environments, and that means accessible childcare, senior services, after-school programs, public transportation, and healthcare services—and I will support and push for measures that help create these comprehensive communities.”
He then went on to outline practical solutions, “One of the biggest issues in the 44th District and our entire state is homelessness, and people understand that and will support reasonable measures to help our community members in need. The bottom line is that we need to put our money where our values are and invest in long-term, practical solutions that won’t break the bank, like more affordable housing throughout our state so no community is left behind.”
Your support is vital to advancing our shared vision of a Washington in which all people’s housing needs are met. Whether it’s with your energy, time, or money, you can make a difference. Sign up to volunteer here or you can donate here.
Brandy Donaghy for State Representative, pos. 1, 44th legislative district, 1!
Written by Gian Mitchell, Community Organizing Fellow
Representative Brandy Donaghy is a fighter that views policy through an equity lens that centers the most marginalized members of our communities. That’s one reason why the Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund is so proud to highlight our endorsement of her campaign.
Rep. Donaghy’s approach to policy is preventative rather than reactive. She writes, “It’s time to stop just reacting to crises and invest more in preventing them from occurring in the first place, by addressing the base causes.” A targeted approach is a feature of Rep. Donaghy’s policymaking. She states, “It is imperative that we work to ensure that all of our communities are strong and resilient, and we can do this by applying the right resources in the right places.” This focus is vital to ensuring equitable policy outcomes. We know we can only achieve a universal goal of housing for all, by pursuing targeted policies that directly attack the unique barriers to housing experienced by each different community. Without policy that specifically addresses these inequities we will continue to perpetuate them.
Rep. Donaghy knows how important it is to listen to the expertise of those with lived experience, as she states “I believe strongly in stakeholder engagement to ensure that we are providing what is actually needed rather than what we THINK others should need.”
We can’t do this work without the support of everyday people like you. That’s why it is so important that you vote, advocate, donate, and/or engage as you’re able with these issues and support housing champions like Rep. Donaghy. Ready to engage? Sign up to volunteer for housing champions here. Donate to our critical work here.
April Berg for State Representative (Pos. 2) 44th legislative district!
Written by Gian Mitchell, Community Organizing Fellow
Representative April Berg is an effective lawmaker and strong supporter of affordable homes, and we’re proud to highlight our endorsement of her re-election campaign. First elected in 2020, Rep. Berg immediately got to work for the people of the 44th legislative district. In her first year in office, she sponsored five bills ranging from eliminating school lunch copays for low-income kids to ensuring public schools provide free period products for all students. All five bills became law.
In our 2020 candidate questionnaire, Rep. Berg shared, “Housing first must be a mantra that our state adopts. Without safe, affordable housing people cannot focus on basic needs like staying healthy and accessing education and jobs. The lack of affordable housing in our region and in our state puts the well-being of our communities at risk – as new neighbors struggle to find housing they can afford and longtime residents face rising affordability costs that threaten to push them out of their community.”
Rep. Berg then followed up with the following pledge, “As a legislator, I will look holistically at challenges related to housing, and addressing this challenge will be a top priority: investing in the Housing Trust Fund and working to increase housing stock by building affordable housing, allowing for more robust housing density options like ADUs and duplexes, improving tenant protections and rights to prevent unneeded eviction and homelessness, increasing funding for and coordination around homeless services including behavioral health and addiction treatment.”
As the first Black woman to represent the 44th district, she states, “I’ve got lived experience in my community. On top of that, I am a Black woman with locked hair. I don’t think that you can only be or do one thing at one time. And so for me, I represent my community because I am my community.” This has been lived out through the decades of experience Rep. Berg has in community service. She’s set down roots in the 44th district through her work with school boards, small business owner and as the former Planning Commissioner for the City of Mill Creek.
We can’t do this work without you. Want to support housing champions like Rep. Berg? Sign up to volunteer here or donate at this link here.
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