On October 13, MBAKS hosted our annual Housing Solutions Breakfast at the W Hotel in Bellevue. The sold-out event drew 200+ attendees — including elected officials, industry leaders, city staff and housing partners — and focused on opening the door for the next generation.
MBAKS unveiled our Housing Toolkit at the event, highlighting practical solutions to help build more homes and ensure everyone in our region has a place to call home. Executive Director Jerry Hall said, “We don’t need more studies on housing to know we must act with urgency now to deliver the homes our communities need.”
The breakfast featured Challenge Seattle CEO and former Washington Governor Christine Gregoire as keynote speaker, who shared her insights on keeping Puget Sound strong and competitive. Her remarks reinforced the need for clear standards and predictable timelines to lower costs and meet our region’s housing needs, as well as the importance of partnerships in this work.
Attendees also heard from Governor Bob Ferguson’s Senior Housing Policy Advisor Em Stone about the need to remove barriers to housing and why this work matters so much. Stone shared that in two legislative sessions as Governor, Ferguson has signed more than 50 housing-related bills into law and is working to elevate housing as a cabinet-level agency in Washington.
Finally, each year at our Housing Solutions Breakfast, MBAKS acknowledges the incredible contributions of the nonprofit organizations we collaborate with — each playing a key role in opening doors to housing. Congratulations to Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties for being this year’s recipient in recognition of their work providing first-time homeownership opportunities for so many community members and advocacy on behalf of housing.
View Housing Solutions Breakfast Photos