In the fall of 2018, County Executive Dammeier, Tacoma Mayor Woodards, and County Councilmember Ladenburg convened local elected officials in a roundtable discussion around housing affordability in Pierce County. The discussions focused on what can be done collectively in Pierce County to address housing affordability and attainability for residents of all income level, while acknowledging each jurisdiction's unique housing market and challenges. The 'Mayor’s Roundtable,' as it was originally called, conducted a series of meetings on:  

• Local housing affordability data and needs;
• Individual jurisdiction needs and housing types;
• Incentives and needs of housing developers and what kinds of incentives are valued for spurring the creation of additional units including affordable units; 
• How other local governments have partnered to achieve results, what tools have been effective, and what lessons have been learned; and 
• What is the path forward and how to continue collaborating to move the issue of housing affordability and attainable housing forward?

In 2019, the Mayor’s Roundtable group began calling itself the South Sound Housing Affordability Partners (SSHAP). Overtime, SSHAP collectively decided to move forward with both short- and long-term action items. In December of 2019, SSHAP members agreed to engage a consultant to explore developing a regional coalition around housing affordability.