Olympia– A recently published Washington State report found a significant gap in homeownership among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color compared to their white community members.

The report is a culmination of many months of findings from the Homeownership Disparities Work Group, which was funded by the Legislature in 2021. State Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Tacoma) was among the lawmakers advocating for the funding.

“In my years of experience in working with community, it has been clear that not everyone has the same access to homeownership,” said Nobles. “I’m thrilled to secure the funding that created this workgroup and furthermore for having tangible information we can use to direct our policy work going forward.”

The workgroup has put forward 27 recommendations to remove housing barriers for BIPOC community members. Twelve of these recommendations have been deemed actionable over the next several years. Further information can be found on the Department of Commerce’s page.

The Legislature is set to reconvene in January.