SWACH Hosts Regional Housing Forum This July

Across Southwest Washington, many individuals and families continue to face challenges finding housing that is affordable, stable, and accessible. This July, community members will have a chance to share what they’re seeing and help shape future housing advocacy efforts.

SWACH is proud to host the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance's 2026 Community Housing Forum on Tuesday, July 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Vancouver. As part of a statewide listening tour this summer and fall, WLIHA is traveling to communities across Washington to hear firsthand about local housing needs, challenges, and priorities, and to share what policy solutions they are considering for the years ahead.

“Housing is more expensive now than ever before, and incomes are as stagnant as they’ve ever been,” said Heather Sheppard, SWACH’s Equity and Collaborative Impact Manager. “There’s just no way people can afford to live.”

Sheppard said the forum comes at a time when many people across the region are struggling with affordability, limited housing supply, stigma, and poverty.

“But I think affordability, lack of supply, stigma, and poverty are all reasons why people are experiencing homelessness at a rapid rate,” Sheppard said.

For Sheppard, this forum is about more than policy. It’s about making sure the communities most affected by the housing crisis have a voice in the decisions that shape their lives.

“I want to see people at the table who are directly affected by these things,” Sheppard said. “I would love to see a whole room full of people with lived experience, whether that be low-income families, folks who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness, or folks who have experienced discrimination in housing.”

SWACH works closely with WLIHA around housing justice, and Sheppard said hosting the forum creates space for local advocates, partners, and community members to provide input on an issue that continues to affect health and well-being across the region.

“Housing is always a priority for us in our communities, and obviously it’s their main priority,” Sheppard said. “So it’s important for us to be able to have spaces for advocates to come and have input on that.”

This is a rare chance to speak directly to the people working on housing policy at the state level. Whether you are a community member navigating housing instability, a provider working on the front lines, or an advocate with ideas about what needs to change, your perspective belongs in this conversation.

“I hope that they feel heard,” Sheppard said. “I hope that they know their voices are going to contribute to something on a larger scale.”

Register now at wliha.org/advocacy/2026CommunityForums and join us July 8 to make sure Southwest Washington's voice is heard.

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