Alan Newberg, Bremerton
Kitsap Sun
I wish to follow up on Karen Leader Scott’s excellent letter regarding the urgent need for Congress to address the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 health pandemic.
Her letter mentions rental assistance. It happens that I own three single-family rentals and as a consequence can speak personally for the need for rental assistance. Such assistance is fundamental to keeping renters impacted from loss of income and employment from becoming homeless occupants of our streets, alleys and byways. Rental assistance keeps people in their homes, reduces social services spending and provides the stream of income landlords need to stay in business. Rules constraining landlords from evicting people unable to pay rent, while perhaps necessary in the initial phases of the epidemic, are not sustainable and threaten to drive down the supply of affordable housing.
The lack of affordable housing is at the core of the homeless problem in this country and all it associated problems. Now is the time to address this problem before moneyed investors buy up the supply. If you are a landlord, consider accepting tenants with rental assistance vouchers.
In conclusion, I agree with Karen that Derick Kilmer and Senators Murray and Cantwell have been leaders in seeking to address these issues as have most members of Washington’s delegation and I thank them for seeking bipartisan support their work. Hope you do too.
Alan Newberg, Bremerton