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This week was full of exciting announcements for affordable housing and transportation projects I’ve been working on for years with so many committed partners, advocates and constituents. While progress can sometimes feel slow, milestones like this week's highlight the impact of our collective work to improve our communities. - Claudia
New Regional Affordable Housing Dashboard promotes accountability and transparency
This week the Affordable Housing Committee, which I chair, released a Regional Affordable Housing Dashboard to track our county’s progress toward our goal to build or preserve 44,000 affordable homes by 2024 and 244,000 homes by 2040.
The dashboard will help jurisdictions track their progress, arm housing advocates with data to make their cases, and provide the public with information to hold elected leaders accountable.
Read my op-ed in PubliCola about the Regional Affordable Housing Dashboard >>>
Youth ORCA cards available at no cost beginning June 1
Beginning June 1, Puget Sound area youth (ages 6–18 years) will be able to get their first Youth ORCA card online and at no charge. What does this mean? In the past, Youth cards (which provide a discounted youth transit fare) had to be purchased in person or via the mail and cost $5. Now on a permanent basis, families will be able to go online and get the cards for free.
This change is in part a result of District 6 constituent advocacy. In 2018, a parent contacted my office with a request to make it easier to get Youth ORCA cards in the hands of Lake Washington School District students. In response, I worked with Metro to develop a plan to improve youth and senior ORCA card access, and to create new partnerships with King County school districts to get more ORCA Cards in students' hands.
Thanks to the participating ORCA transit agencies for this latest action to make it easier for King County youth to ride transit.
Read the Seattle Times story on expanding Youth ORCA Card access >>>
 Milestone: the first major Sound Transit EastLink Light Rail project is complete
This week I joined leaders from the Eastside and across the region to celebrate the opening of Sound Transit’s Operations and Maintenance Facility East, located in Bellevue’s new Spring District. This new state-of-the-art light rail facility will be home base for 96 light rail trains and it represents the first in a wave of Sound Transit opening days that will transform the Eastside as our regional light rail and bus rapid transit system expands to connect Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Mercer Island with the three-county Sound Transit system.
Watch the video >>>
 Click on the image to watch Sound Transit's video about the Operation and Maintenance Facility East
New $145 million Rent Assistance Program to prevent evictions and homelessness
Households throughout King County who have fallen one or more months behind in rent due to unemployment, lost wages or health crises as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for $145 million in rental assistance from King County. The statewide eviction moratorium is scheduled to expire on June 30th and this money will help thousands of people stay in their homes.
To support tenant and landlords in accessing these funds, a new Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program launched this week. This partnership between King County and local property owners and managers will offer payments for back rent, utility expenses and even future rent obligations for those struggling to get back on their feet financially.
Learn more about the $145 million King County-led program to prevent evictions and homelessness >>>
 A snapshot of the rental assistance and eviction prevention data from 2020. Click on the image to learn more about the Program.
Spread the word!
Please forward this email widely and invite others to sign-up to my email updates to receive important and timely information for District 6 constituents.
Sincerely,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
Council Chair
District 6
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