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Metro councilor briefs Westland on housing bond and supportive-services tax; asks for local engagement
Summary
Metro Councilor Christine Lewis described progress on the 2018 affordable housing bond and the 2020 supportive-housing-services (SHS) tax, said funds have placed thousands of households and urged Westland to discuss how to participate in regional planning and grant opportunities.
Christine Lewis, a Metro councilor and Westland resident, briefed the council on regional affordable-housing work funded by the 2018 bond and the 2020 supportive-housing-services (SHS) tax and asked the city to consider a deeper local role in planning and site identification.
Why this matters: Metro’s housing investments are tied to both physical affordable housing (bond funds) and services (SHS tax) that together support permanent supportive housing for people experiencing long-term homelessness. Lewis said the bond-funded units are largely committed through 2028 and that supportive-services funding will reach its 10-year horizon in 2031, raising questions about long-term funding and governance.
Key points from the presentation: Lewis said Metro has funded affordable and deeply affordable units and that the bond money is nearly fully committed; she reported that supportive-services programs have housed more than 6,000 households regionwide, helped prevent more than 15,000 evictions and preserved or added roughly 1,890 shelter beds. She said Metro staff and a 40-member stakeholder advisory table have recommended strengthening regional oversight, simplifying accountability structures and creating a coherent regional plan to present to voters ahead of any renewal proposal.
Council response and next steps: Councilors thanked Lewis and expressed interest in further study. City Manager Williams and staff said Westland has not yet identified a local site that would qualify for bond funding and noted that most bond dollars are already committed to projects elsewhere in the region. Councilors asked for a follow-up work session so the council can provide informed feedback to Metro; Christine Lewis said she would return for a council briefing before any ballot measure is finalized.
Ending: The council directed staff to schedule a near-term work session on Metro’s proposals so Westland can consider policy and site options and provide feedback before Metro advances any measure to the ballot.
