Summary of Valued Conditions
Valued Conditions Expressed by King County Residents
• Everyone in the County has the basic necessities of living—nutritious food, adequate shelter and clothing.
• All people live in a quality residence and do not spend a high percentage of their income to do so. Low income people can find affordable housing in a variety of neighborhoods.
• Homelessness is reduced and homeless people are cared for.
• The potential of immigrants is recognized and they are supported to improve their English and to find jobs suitable to their skill, expertise, and experience.
• There is equitable distribution of incomes; the gap in wealth and income between the rich and poor people is narrowed.
• People earn a living wage and there is less discrepancy between the average worker’s income and that of the average chief executive.
• Everyone has sufficient informal social support–relationships through neighborhood interaction, work, communities of faith, common interests, etc.
• People are treated fairly in employment, housing and education.
• All people feel included in the larger community. No members of any group feel isolated (men, women, youth, the elderly, disabled, immigrants, ethnic/racial religious groups, gays and lesbians).
• There is respect for differences and no one is discriminated against socially in employment, housing or education due to race/ethnicity, age, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.
The valued conditions came from citizen opinion expressed as values and concerns in the telephone survey, focus groups, and in the civic and public forums. The valued conditions are expressed as “ideal” conditions—based on the vision of what residents want for themselves, their families and communities.
