Gov. Ferguson announces subsidized housing package, new state agency

(The Center Square) – Gov. Bob Ferguson has announced a spending proposal of $244 million to be included in the 2026 supplemental operating budget with much of it going to build subsidizes rental units and create a new state office tasked with making housing more affordable.

The announcement comes at a time when residential construction permit rates are down to lowest levels since 2013, more than 80% of Washington households cannot afford a single family home and the state faces a multibillion budget shortfall.

Speaking at a Dec. 18 press conference inside Beacon Pacific Village’s ICHS PACE Clinic, Ferguson said “the simple fact is, we need more housing. This is a crisis that’s not going to be solved in a day or a week or a month or a year, right? It’s not t...