Manufactured-home parks, disability access and lived experience top public comments at housing task force meeting
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Summary
During public comment, speakers urged the task force to protect manufactured-home communities, include people with lived experience, prioritize disability-accessible housing, and ensure rural and tribal needs are considered as the agency design progresses.
Public commenters at the end of the meeting urged the task force to address several recurring themes: protections for manufactured-home park residents, stronger representation of people with lived experience, accessibility for people with disabilities, responsiveness to rural community needs, and safeguards to prevent predatory practices.
Deb Wilson, an Aberdeen city council member, asked to join a subcommittee and urged attention to manufactured-home parks where ownership changes have led to rent spikes that leave residents unable to sell homes in place. Michelle Thomas of the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance said the task force lacked direct representation of people living in affordable housing and urged the group to center those voices.
Speakers with disability and rural housing organizations described acute supply shortages and accessibility gaps. Britt Knuckles of Disability Rights Washington stressed the importance of accessible, walkable housing and asked that the task force consider how federal or state legal constraints might affect programs targeting underserved populations. Marty Miller, from a rural farmworker housing nonprofit, urged responsiveness to local conditions and noted that some urban-focused solutions may not be appropriate for small towns.
Several commenters asked that the state not slow down current programs while agency reorganization is discussed and recommended using ex officio members or other mechanisms to bring additional voices into subcommittee work.
