Olympia to consider collaboration with Black Home Initiative  

The Olympia City Council is set to consider a proclamation next month expressing the city's support and willingness to collaborate with the Black Home Initiative (BHI), a Seattle-based group that bills itself as a regional effort focusing on addressing disparities in homeownership for Black households.  

Councilmember Dani Madrone gave the heads-up when she reported that the Thurston Regional Housing Council (RHC) has been discussing the initiative. The initiative aims to help 1,500 new Black, low- and median-income homeowners by 2027 through a collaborative "impact network model" involving multiple organizations throughout King and Pierce Counties.   

Madrone explained that it is a partner pledge. "It is for anybody who wants to be a part of the solution and be a part of that collaborative network in the impact model." 

Madrone, also an RHC member, added that the proclamation would likely state that Olympia would determine its specific goals, partnership approach, and resources to put towards it.  

At the RHC monthly meeting on July 24, Christa Lenssen, Olympia's Housing Program specialist, provided an overview of the BHI work and the opportunity for Thurston County to get involved.  

According to Lenssen, the BHI has been working since 2021 to address disparities and increase homeownership opportunities for black, low- to moderate-income families. 

The BHI claims that a long-standing history of structural racism and anti-black discrimination has caused Black households to be less likely to own their own homes. This situation has provided fewer opportunities for black families to build intergenerational wealth. 

Referring to BHI's report, Lenssen mentioned that approximately 42% of black households in Washington state have zero net worth, compared to just 14% of white households.  

The assessment of Fair Housing for Thurston County indicated that the homeownership rate for white, non-Hispanic households in the county is 69%, while the rate for black households is only 45%.  

The BHI has already helped to develop and pass statewide legislation to create the Covenant Homeownership Program, which launched in July. The new program provides downpayment and closing cost assistance to BIPOC first-time homebuyers across Washington State.  

Lenssen noted a growing interest in learning about BHI's work. She said a small but growing group of local stakeholders has formed to explore potential partnerships with the network.  

During the RHC meeting, Lenssen asked if the council is interested in partnering with the BHI.  

According to Lenssen, a partnership with the BHI network would present the following opportunities for the RHC and Thurston County: 

• Partnership or expansion of the BHI network to include Thurston County in the geographic focus area.  

• Contribute and learn from work underway for the past three years.  

• Build relationships with BHI partners and organizations that have a statewide presence, which creates opportunities for collaboration.

No specific commitment required

Lenssen said partnering with the BHI network would involve signing a pledge that does not require a specific time or financial commitment, but rather a commitment to participate in the shared priorities. She said the RHC could support the BHI's work in many ways, including dedicating staff time, land banking for future homeownership projects, providing funding, and offering input and engagement from advisory boards.  

Lenssen noted that BHI's work aligns with RHC's and local jurisdictions' many housing efforts. For example, the cities' Housing Action Plan focuses on increasing the supply of affordable housing, funding homeownership activities, and supporting cooperative ownership through land trusts and cooperative models.  

Much of BHI's work focused on strategies to increase the supply of affordable housing. Lenssen added that Thurston County's Fair Housing assessment identified increasing BIPOC access to homeownership as a key goal for the region.  

The RHC and its member jurisdictions made efforts to increase communication with the community and advocate for statewide policies and funding. Lenssen said such actions align with the BHI, which has a policy network group that helps to track and advocate for state funding and policies that support increased access to homeownership.  

The members of the RHC expressed interest in signing a pledge to partner with the BHI, but they want to review the specific details before taking formal action.