One of America’s most expensive cities seeks to give housing to some of the people who need it the most.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray
Buying a home isn’t easy. Let’s be clear: for the majority of Americans, buying a home is completely and totally awful (and in New York, hilariously out-of-reach). But Seattle is especially concerned with helping the city’s low-and-moderate income Muslim residents purchase homes, some of whom rely on Sharia law and are unable to apply for conventional loans. So Seattle mayor Ed Murray decided to take action and come up with a smart new coalition, designed to give housing access to some of the city’s most underserved residents.
Image via Wikimedia
The advisory board—composed of nonprofits, lenders, and community lenders—will work to create Sharia-compliant home loan opportunities. Some Muslims are unable to access traditional loans because their religion prevents them from paying interest and fees on loans. The coalition hopes to be able to carefully balance the community’s need for religious freedom with economic accessibility and transparency.
According to Colorlines, Murray’s plan is part of a larger city-wide initiative to build affordable housing in one of the nation’s increasingly most unaffordable cities. Not only Muslims, but other low and moderate-income residents, who are disproportionately people of color, will be impacted. It’s a big move in a small city growing more expensive by the minute.
(Via Colorlines)
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