BHI Network Policy Summit - 12/13/2023

At the 2024 BHI Policy Summit entitled “Policy Change In Motion” we center ourselves in the “why” of this work as we hear community leaders and legislators engage in extended conversations around some of the pivotal issues affecting our ability to create change and opportunity for new Black homeowners in South Seattle, South King and North Pierce Counties. The Summit consists of three distinct conversations:
Building An Ecosystem for Black Homeownership
A conversation between Darryl Smith and Donald King, moderated by Nicole Bascomb-Green, which explores the supply and demand side of the homeownership equation. We hear about the Field Order 15 Fund, the Black Homeownership Legacy Fund, a Home Sight debt relief program, the work of the Nehemiah Initiative Seattle, and the Black Clergy Summit.
Covenant Homeownership Act (CHA): Lessons Learned & Next Steps
A conversation between CHA second sponsor and #1 champion, Rep. Frank Chopp, and CHA primary sponsor, Rep. Jamila Taylor, moderated by Michael Brown. In this conversation the Representatives share the lessons they learned through the process and politics involved in the passage of this groundbreaking act, they provide an update around where the CHA is in the implementation process, and we learn of a 2024 CHA Budget Proviso that is intended to support the successful launch of CHA and address the supply of affordable homes.
Centering Community Voices in Comprehensive Plans
A conversation between Gregory Davis, Inye Wokoma, and Shaun Scott, moderated by Anna Boone which explores the complexity of community engagement, the holding and sharing of the durable threads of community remembrance, and the historical touchpoints that intersect within these processes. We learn about the Wa Na Wari CACE 21 report “Seattle Is Not Affordable”, the Rainier Beach Neighborhood Plan, and the City of Seattle Equitable Development Zoning Pilot. The conversation ends with suggestions for Comprehensive Plan processes that center community voices and human outcomes and a call to action for everyone to contribute to these 20-year visions for our communities.