What is affordable housing?

The term affordable housing refers to households spending less than 30% of the total household income on housing. Housing includes costs like rent, mortgage, insurance, and utilities. 

The Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) defines affordable housing as:

(2) “Affordable housing” means, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, residential housing whose monthly costs, including utilities other than telephone, do not exceed thirty percent of the monthly income of a household:

(a) For rental housing, households whose income is 60% of the median household income adjusted for household size, for the county where the household is located, as reported by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; or

(b) For owner-occupied housing, households whose income is 80% of the median household income adjusted for household size, for the county where the household is located, as reported by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Show All Answers

1. What is a Housing Action Plan (HAP)?
2. Why are we doing a Housing Action Plan (HAP)?
3. When will the HAP be done?
4. How is the HAP funded?
5. What are the steps for a HAP?
6. Who is representing the community for this effort?
7. What is a Housing Needs Assessment (HNA)?
8. Why is the data in the HNA from 2019?
9. How does the HAP impact future city planning?
10. What are other cities doing for their HAPs?
11. What other planning is the City doing?
12. What are the City’s existing housing policies?
13. What is affordable housing?
14. Will the HAP force Sultan to meet quotas for housing, Section 8, or rent control, or to build low-income housing?
15. Will the HAP address the cost of housing?