Affordable Housing - Table of Contents
This page provides links to MRSC's resources related to affordable housing in Washington State. While housing affordability is an issue that can affect people of all income levels, MRSC’s affordable housing-related topic pages focus primarily on households making less than 80% of the Median Family Income (MFI).
Overview Pages
- Background About Affordable Housing – Considers issues when developing affordable housing plans, including populations the housing might serve, causes of housing affordability, and best practices for planning.
- Types of Affordable Housing – Offers an introduction to different housing types and models that are generally considered affordable, as well as specialized construction approaches that can lower new housing costs.
- Affordable Housing Techniques and Incentives – Provides an overview of techniques and incentives, including density bonuses, special zoning, permit streamlining, fee reductions, selling surplus property, that may encourage the construction of new affordable housing.
Funding
- Affordable Housing Funding Sources – Provides an overview of funding sources that cities and counties can use to provide or incentivize affordable housing development, such as sales taxes, property taxes, tax incentives, state and federal grant programs, and more.
Publications
- Homelessness & Housing Toolkit for Cities – Co-produced by MRSC and the Association of Washington Cities, this toolkit offers a variety of tools and programs being employed by Washington local governments.
Blog Posts
Blog posts are written by MRSC staff and contributors.
Related Resources
Last Modified: September 11, 2025
