Caitlyn McKenney

Research Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty

Caitlyn (Axe) McKenney is a research fellow and program coordinator for Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth & Poverty. Her work has centered on government fiscal accountability, political rhetoric, and addiction with a focus on human dignity ethics. Caitlyn is a graduate of the University of Washington, has interned for a political advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., and has participated in the Vita Institute at the University of Notre Dame. She is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, at The American Spectator and the Federalist, and has made local and national media appearances.

Archives

Is Housing a Human Right?

The U.S. Constitution establishes life, liberty and property as unalienable rights but makes no room for a human right to the provision of housing.

Sensible WA Tenancy Laws Will Help Housing Stability

The Washington Legislature is considering a bill aimed at “improving housing stability for tenants” by capping rent increases at 7% and fees at 1.5% of monthly rent. Instead of mandating rent control, lawmakers should provide housing stability by enacting smart landlord-tenant laws. More than half of Seattle residents are renters, and the growing dysfunction in Seattle’s affordable housing market offers cautionary insights into the meaning of housing stability. Last summer, the city distributed $14 million in emergency funding to affordable housing providers on the brink of collapse. If there is any picture painted by the applications for funding, it is one of housing instability. The applications, which are public records, document what has happened in some of

Washington State Debates Rent Control

SB 5222 WA’s Senate Housing Committee heard testimony on SB 5222, a bill that would mandate a 7% cap on rent increases (aka rent control). If you care about the cost of housing, watch these key moments from expert testimony. But first, the bill’s sponsor asking for grace. PRO PRO price cap: Bryce Yadon says renters “deserve the same assurance I have that my mortgage won’t increase 25% in a single year because the bank decided they didn’t plan.” “I’ll have to do some research…” Sen Chris Gildon asks Bryce for an example of where rent control has worked. “I’ll have to do some research and get back to you.” Counter-Question Sen Alvarado (who introduced the bill as a Rep in the

The YIMBY Movement Faces Challenges on Both Sides of the Aisle

“Yes In My Backyard” — if the phrase has yet to enter your lexicon, the YIMBY movement is a growing cultural and political response to its predecessor, NIMBY (“Not In My Backyard”), which conjured images of wealthy property owners in manicured neighborhoods railing against property development nearby that would change the “feel” of the area. Whether or not that image is fair and accurate, as the nation faces a shortage of nearly 4 million homes, a pro-housing response is understandably on the rise. And while the YIMBY movement has garnered impressive traction on both sides of the political aisle — Harris and Trump have both vocalized pro-housing development sentiment — it is also not immune to criticism from both sides. A recent Vox analysis of the future of the

Feds Flub Homelessness by Ignoring Addiction

The federal government is hoping you, the public, won’t notice that homelessness in America reached an all-time high last year. That was the impression given by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) when it quietly released the 2024 annual homelessness report on the Friday between Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year’s. Nationwide, 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness in 2024, an 18 percent increase from the year before and the highest number on record. The HUD administration attributes this record-setting number to a lack of affordable housing, systemic racism, and rising inflation. Impossible to hide, the report also highlights the strain caused by a surge in migrants and asylum seekers: “new arrivals” made up 13,600 of Chicago’s

As Region Faces Shortage, Seattle Needs to Preserve its Existing Housing 

According to a 2024 report on housing production from Up For Growth, the metro area encompassing Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue is facing a shortage of 71,060 homes. That amounts to 4.2% of the region’s total housing stock. While the production of new homes is vital to closing the gap between supply and demand, so is the preservation of existing housing, especially affordable housing. A recent op-ed in the Seattle Times called on Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to suspend the city’s winter eviction moratorium, a law that halts evictions for the nonpayment of rent from December through March every year. The article is authored by Sharon Lee, executive Director of the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), and Emily Thompson, a partner at GMD Development. LIHI owns or

King County Homelessness CEO Makes $200K+ Despite Dismal Homelessness Figures

Where Is All the Money Going? King County homelessness authority CEO’s salary is $290,000 — that’s more than the Seattle median income and average tech salary COMBINED. Taxpayer funded. Meanwhile, Seattle’s homelessness crisis is third worst in the nation. Let’s take a look. KCRHA Employee Salaries The King County Regional Homelessness Authority has been embroiled in controversy since its start in 2022. Former CEO Marc Dones made $247,200. Hired this year, new CEO Kelly Kinnison is being paid $290,000. Kinnison is not the only one making $200k+. Kelly Kinnison Marc Dones More Salaries King County Regional Homelessness Authority Salaries: CEO Kelly Kinnison – $290,000 CPO Irene Agustin – $205,000 CFO James Rouse –

A Majority of Americans Say They Favor Rent Caps, but the Results Say They Shouldn’t

According to a recent survey commissioned by Redfin Real Estate, the majority of U.S. residents are in favor of caps on rent increases. When presented with the statement, “there should be caps on the amount landlords are allowed to increase rent,” 82% of respondents agreed. This significant majority holds regardless of political party or homeownership, though Democrats and renters were about 7% more likely to favor rent caps than Republicans or homeowners. What are “rent caps”? A more familiar term for the government regulation of rent increases is “rent control.” According to the National Apartment Association (NAA), only seven states, in addition to the District of Columbia, have enacted rent control policies locally or statewide. Interestingly,

A Majority of Americans Say They Favor Rent Caps, but the Results Say They Shouldn’t

According to a recent survey commissioned by Redfin Real Estate, the majority of U.S. residents are in favor of caps on rent increases. When presented with the statement, “there should be caps on the amount landlords are allowed to increase rent,” 82% of respondents agreed. This significant majority holds regardless of political party or homeownership, though Democrats and renters were about 7% more likely to favor rent caps than Republicans or homeowners. What are “rent caps”? A more familiar term for the government regulation of rent increases is “rent control.” According to the National Apartment Association (NAA), only seven states, in addition to the District of Columbia, have enacted rent control policies locally or statewide. Interestingly, an online poll from

Addiction Treatment Should Look Like This

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by the founder of Battlefield Addiction Art Dahlen. As a former addict, Art shares personal insights on addiction treatment, the policy environment in Seattle, and the power of language.

Addiction Treatment Should Look Like This

In this episode of Restorations, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by the founder of Battlefield Addiction Art Dahlen. As a former addict, Art shares personal insights on addiction treatment, the policy environment in Seattle, and the power of language. Learn more about Battlefield Addiction at battlefieldaddiction.com Join the conversation on X @CaitlynMcKenney or @DiscoveryCWP. Episode Summary: In this episode of Restorations, host Caitlyn McKenney speaks with Art Dahlen, founder of Battlefield Addiction, about addiction, recovery, and harm reduction policies in Seattle. The discussion explores personal experiences, societal impacts, and effective strategies for combating addiction and homelessness. Key Points Discussed Draft Legislation in WA State: Caitlyn critiques a

Tenant Violence Threatens Region’s Housing Providers

Just last week, a 19-year-old tenant allegedly stabbed her 73-year-old landlord to death. The murder took place in an apartment in White Center, a neighborhood south of Seattle. According to a news report, the landlord asked the tenant about unpaid rent before being stabbed twice. The suspect told authorities that her landlord struck her in the face and admitted to the stabbing one the phone with a 911-operator. Incidents like this are not representative of the vast majority of tenants, but they are not anomalies either. At an apartment community in Tacoma, an angry resident attempted to grab a hammer from a grounds-maintenance cart in an act of aggression towards a maintenance technician. According to an incident report, the resident became agitated upon discovering the cart parked

A New Approach for Seattle’s Homelessness Crisis

In this episode, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by Discovery Senior Fellow and former Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness to discuss a new policy report we coauthored to address homelessness in Seattle. Read the

A New Approach for Seattle’s Homelessness Crisis

In this episode, Caitlyn McKenney is joined by Discovery Senior Fellow and former Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness to discuss a new policy report we coauthored to address homelessness in Seattle. Read the report.

Affordable Housing Owner Sues City of Seattle: Unpacking the Lawsuit

Last week, GRE Downtowner, LLC (GRE) filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle, arguing that the city’s policies have destroyed the livability and economic viability of GRE’s Addison on Fourth apartment building. The Addison on Fourth is an affordable housing building nestled between Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square and Chinatown-International District. The lawsuit alleges that the city has forced the Addison to either continue operations in service of a public good at a massive private loss, or to shut down operations entirely. Both options GRE describes as “disastrous.” To understand why a privately-owned housing building is in default, facing over $40 million in liabilities, and “hemorrhaging money,” in an affluent west-coast city, we must look at a series of

Washington Law Unfairly Keeps Prior Evictions Off Tenant Screenings

When it comes to tenant’s rights laws, good intentions don’t always lead to good or fair outcomes. One example is a Washington State law that allows tenants to keep their eviction from being disclosed to future housing providers. The state allows an order of limited dissemination (OLD) to be filed for eviction cases to prevent housing providers from denying tenants due to a previous eviction.