Evergreen MPA students Leanne Rolling and Zach Lynch recently completed a study for the Washington State Housing Justice Coalition that is now the basis for a bill in the Washington state legislature.  Working with faculty member Amy Gould, Leanne and Zach developed and analyzed a survey of Washington state residents impacted by the criminal justice system about their experiences with housing discrimination. This multi-phased research project started with a short initial survey via social media, e-mail, and website links hosted on HJC member organization sites. The second phase built relationships by following up with survey participants to see if the survey analysis accurately represented their perspective. The third phase gathered lived experience testimonies from participants via e-mail, phone, and listening circle sessions. 

Drawing on this study, the Housing Justice Coalition supported legislation to reform housing background checks. Currently HB 2017 “Addressing housing concerns for individuals impacted by the criminal legal system” is moving through the legislature. The Washington State Housing Justice Coalition reported on their website that on January 25th the House of Representatives held a public hearing to discuss HB 2017.  

For more information and to follow along with this initiative, please visit https://www.justhousingwa.org/ and https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2017&Year=2021&Initiative=false 

By Lacey Chen, MPA Program Assistant