Housing, Land and Development Repository

In 2023, thanks to community advocacy, the Washington State Legislature passed the Covenant Homeownership Act. The act created a new program and funding source (real estate document fees) to help people become homeowners who have been impacted by state-sanctioned racial discrimination in housing prior to 1968, including racially restrictive covenants and redlining. Program loans are forgivable for households with income at or below 80% of area median income.

In 2024, the National Fair Housing Alliance released the Covenant Homeownership Program Study. This study was required by the Covenant Homeownership Act in order to establish the framework for the Covenant Homeownership Program. It documents Washington state’s long history of housing discrimination, as well as how past discrimination continues to harm families and communities today.