Patty was born and raised in Bothell, Washington where she grew up with her parents and six siblings—including a twin sister. Her father managed a Main Street 5 and 10 cent store, where she worked growing up and first learned the value of strong work ethic. When Patty was a young teenager, her father—a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient—was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and in a few short years, his illness got so bad he could no longer work. Patty’s mother, who had stayed home to raise their family, had to take care of him while also working to support their family. She found some work, but it didn’t pay enough to support Patty and her six brothers and sisters—and a husband with growing medical bills. Thankfully, they lived in a country where the government didn’t just say “you’re on your own.”
Senator Murray believes that safe, stable housing shouldn’t be a privilege in the United States of America—and the dream of owning your own home, let alone making rent, shouldn’t feel so ridiculously out of reach for so many people. Senator Murray is also acutely focused on ensuring that everyone in Washington state can be housed and that everyone has access to safe, emergency housing should they need it.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Murray pushed for a strong response to the immediate need, which was to prioritize public health by keeping people in their homes and ensuring access to emergency housing for those who were unhoused. In Congress, Senator Murray championed major investments in rental assistance and many other programs and supports to help get and keep people and housed while fighting the COVID-19 virus. Senator Murray is committed to building on this work to strengthen families’ and individuals’ ability to access safe, stable, secure housing—and stay there. She’s also focused on how the federal government can be a partner in the collective work to dismantle systemic barriers in housing that have long disadvantaged people of color and other vulnerable communities.