By ERICA HALL

The Mirror

State Rep. Mark Miloscia of Federal Way has been appointed to lead a newly created House of Representatives committee to address housing issues across the state.

The committee will take on affordability and accessibility issues, low-income housing, manufactured housing and mobile home issues, housing authorities, the Housing Finance Commission, and issues with landlord-tenant laws.

“This has been one of those issues that House leadership has been wanting to put in the forefront for a number of years,” Miloscia said. “Now, it’s the issue of the year.”

Dini Duclos, chief executive officer of the Federal Way-based Multi-Service Center of South King County, a social services agency, agreed.

“It’s good that they’ve set this committee up,” she said. “Pending homelessness is a national crisis. South King County is in need of housing services as much as anybody else. The need is great.”

For every family Multi-Service Center provides with emergency or transitional housing, it has to turn away between 12 and 14, Duclos said.

King County is in an affordable housing crisis, said Miiloscia (D-30th District), citing recent reports related to housing accessibility.

The average cost of a home has risen to $300,000, he said, and every year the number of people turned away from emergency shelters grows. Meanwhile, federal funding allocations for state affordable housing continue to decline.

“The problem is not getting better. It’s getting worse,” Miloscia said. “We are having a crisis in housing across the spectrum.”

Duclos noted people are homeless for a variety of reasons. Some are working, she said, but they don’t make enough to make ends meet. They get so behind on their bills, they ultimately get evicted and never catch up.

Others are chronically mentally ill and end up in the criminal justice system. Some are domestic violence victims fleeing unsafe circumstances. Others are just coming out of prison.

In response to the multiplicity of housing needs, state House leadership decided to consolidate the housing issues formerly addressed in several House committees into one committee, Miloscia said.

Duclos said it will be helpful to have one committee addressing housing issues in the state.

The Legislature’s 2004 session will officially convene Jan. 10.

Grace Wang, public policy director for the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said there are several key issues of concern related to the availability of housing for the victims of domestic abuse.

The Legislature last year passed House Bill 1645, which prohibited landlords from barring victims of domestic violence from their rental units; the coalition now is waiting to see how it’s implemented, Wang said.

She said the availability of housing is a key issue, too, and there’s a great need for longer-term transitional housing.

“In urban areas of King and Pierce counties, the turn-away rates are high. One of the reasons is folks in shelter are staying longer because there’s no longer-term housing,” Wang said. “It ripples out. People who need to get into shelter aren’t able to because there aren’t enough beds. The (issue) of housing is a huge one.”

As head of the new committee, Miloscia said he’s been “running around meeting with people just trying to get a handle on the issues. I left work (one day) with four three-ring binders to read. My calendar is quickly filling up. I’m trying to absorb everything.”

Despite the learning curve (he’ll have a staff to help him with the research), he said he’s looking forward to the work ahead.

“This gets me excited and passionate — trying to help the unfortunate, trying to get multiple organizations all to work together,” he said. “It’s a tremendous management issue, with a focus on efficiency and being effective.”

Miloscia, who was re-electedin November for a fourth two-year term, said legislators are “making housing a priority for the first time in probably 10 years. I’m excited to get started.”

Staff writer Erica Hall: 925-5565, ehall@fedwaymirror.com

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