Housing Justice Project managing attorney Edmund Witter said renters who receive an eviction notice should contact the Housing Justice Project right away, either throughits web form, by phone at 206-267-7069 or email, hjpstaff@kcba.org. Mayor Durkan Announces January 15, 2022 Extension of Eviction Rigdon is counting down the days because last week his landlord issued him a 14-day notice to pay the months rent he owes or leave his Capitol Hill micro-studio. Read the Mayor's eviction moratorium announcement. The Eastside Legal Assistance Program can also provide legal help to tenants. Unfortunately, we will not be able to help everyone that has registered for assistance on the waitlist. The Mayor directs and controls all City offices and departments except where that authority is granted to another office by the City Charter. We led the way as the first major US city to be impacted by COVID-19. That time frame includes rent that was due between Feb. 29, 2020, and July 31 of this year. If you receive an eviction summons in King County, contact theHousing Justice Projectat 206-267-7069 or emailhjpstaff@kcba.org. Counties have also pointed to new documentation requirements that add time to processing applications for help. United Way received $6 million of that to distribute to Seattle households that applied through the county eviction prevention portal. However, the Executive did note theyre hoping for additional funding. Landlords can find information about state mitigation programs on theDepartment of Commerce website. Trevor Rigdon has a plan for the next week: Pick up as many Instacart and DoorDash trips as he can, looking to average 10 to 12 hours of work each day. The County contracted with HJP to distribute $24 million in rent assistance which is aimed at protecting tenants facing eviction summons. The moratorium on eviction of nonprofit and small business commercial tenant applies to independently-owned businesses with 50 employees or fewer per establishment, state nonprofits, and 501(c)3) nonprofits. The latest expiration . Additional information can be found in theProcedures for Writs of Restitution. Last week, the moratorium expired, opening a new chapter: the return of payment-related eviction notices, new demand for financial and legal help and a test of new tenant protections meant to keep people housed. Jay Inslee eventually loosened Washington state's moratorium to allow for evictions with a 60-day notice in cases where the landlord intends to sell or personally occupy the premises . Visit the EPRAP Tenant Portal. Mailing Address: All the conditions that made that true are still true. Mailing Address: Over 44,000 have children under 18 in the household. An eviction (Writ of Restitution) involves a tenant being ordered by the court to leave a residence. Advocates, attorneys and mediators will begin to get a better idea of the scale of Seattle evictions later this month. But there's one thing both must do immediately, without delay: Extend the city and state eviction moratoriums through the end of 2021. This spring, she said she landed a job at Seattles Lumen Field mass vaccination site. Outside King County, tenants seeking legal help can apply online at nwjustice.org/apply-online or call the Eviction Defense Screening Line at 855-657-8387. The Civil Division is prohibited from providing legal advice. The State Legislature has passed legislation that provides the legal framework for landlords and tenants concerning evictions and housing related practices after the eviction moratorium. Burien City Council extends eviction moratorium through COVID-19 state 600 4th Ave, Seattle, WA, 7th Floor, Seattle, WA, 98104 First elected in 2012, Inslee is only the second person to serve three consecutive terms as the state's governor. Last year, King County distributed about $38 million in rent assistance to 9,000 households. Visit King County Bar Association for more information and click here to understand your rights under the Bridge Proclamation. Evictions in general disproportionately affect people of color, according to a 2019 University of Washington study which found Black people were evicted five times more often than white people in King County. Featured Links. White Center renter Annalisa Giust, who said she owes more than $10,000, applied for King Countys rental assistance last fall. COVID-19 Assistance and Economic Relief Programs and services that help residents significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of high demand, the Housing Justice Project cannot currently help tenants earlier in the eviction process, such as upon receipt of a 14-day notice. Fees are payable in advance. We are committed to working with the County Executive, ensuring the community both landlords and tenants understand the program and the availability of funding.. Phone: 206-684-4000. Writs returnable to court within 10 or 20 days of issuance, will likely not be enforced. Seattle, Burien, and Kenmore: These cities extended their eviction moratoriums to protect renters until January 15, 2022. Landlords also must notify a dispute resolution center in their county. Correction: This article has been updated with the correct amount of rent relief money King County has distributed since the start of the pandemic. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is extending the city's COVID-19 eviction Sawant argued the city is on the edge of an eviction crisis. Because of high demand, the Housing Justice Project cannot currently help tenants earlier in the eviction process, such as upon receipt of a 14-day notice. If you receive an eviction summons in King County, contact the Housing Justice Project at 206-267-7069 or email hjpstaff@kcba.org. Neighboring counties like Snohomish and Pierce County implemented their programs manually and were quicker to get money out the door. The new ban removes some types of housing from the existing order, including hotels and motels, Airbnbs, long-term care facilities and other nontraditional housing. Starting Aug. 1, renters will be expected to pay full rent, unless they have already negotiated an alternative with the landlord or are seeking rental assistance money. Visit our eviction assistance page for both renters and landlords to learn about post-moratorium regulations and resources. A Landlord's Guide to the Eviction Process in Virginia The remaining $6 million of this first allocation has already been obligated to community-based organizations that are targeting rental assistance to BIPOC communities that may be left behind by other rental assistance programs. On Feb. 22, the Seattle City Council voted 5-3 against a proposal to extend the moratorium for. Outside King County, tenants seeking legal help can apply online atnwjustice.org/apply-onlineor call the Eviction Defense Screening Line at 855-657-8387. On Feb. 22, the Seattle City Council voted 5-3 against a proposal to extend the moratorium for the eighth time since March 2020. McCoy is advocacy director of Real Change and leads the House Our Neighbors campaign that crafted the Seattle social housing initiative. Seattle eviction ban has lifted, and landlords are taking action. Here The City of Seattle will continue totake action to support thosemost in need striving toprotectthehealth andwell-beingof our residents,prevent homelessnessandundue financial hardship, and buildOne Seattlewithabundant opportunityfor all and thriving, vibrant, connected communities., Address: The additional $16 million reserved for second-half payments of landlord advances would push that percentage to 54%. Pierce County has so far spent about $19 million for rent and utility help, of roughly $69 million from various sources, according to the county. Alexandria, VA 22315. For tenants who have already applied for rent assistance, King County will continue to select recipients using a lottery system. One city law says that for the next six months, tenants can raise a defense in court if they can certify they suffered financial hardship because of the pandemic. Seattle landlords will be legally allowed to resume serving notices to their tenants and filing unlawful detainers (eviction lawsuits) in court. Tram Tran-Larson, Community Engagement Manager at Housing Justice Project (HJP) of the King County Bar Association, is worried about what this means for tenants. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. Over 44,000 have children under 18 in the household. To not issue late fees or additional charges for the payment period. 4430. King County EPRAP has limited funding available. In incorporated cities, it will fall on the local mayors or city councils to extend eviction moratoriums. Box 94749, Seattle, WA, 98124-4749 Reach him atjosh.cohen@crosscut.com or on Twitter at @jcohenwrites. King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program 2 dead, 1 critically wounded in shooting at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Think Seattle-area property taxes are rising fast? Virginia Eviction Process (2023): Grounds, Steps & Timeline Visit the Partner Resources page on the King County EPRAP website. Washington's statewide eviction moratorium expires on June 30, leaving a large number of low-income and vulnerable residents at risk of eviction, even as they struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic, between 30% and 50% of Washington tenants facing eviction defaulted, meaning they did not respond in court. Please dont walk away now, the letter continues. Eviction Assistance - RentinginSeattle | seattle.gov Charlie Baker's house in Swampscott, Mass. There are still protections in place. If you get an eviction notice, call the Renting in Seattle Helpline. Remember, a 14-day notice is the beginning of a legal process that can result in eviction. Get Help with Rent | United Way of King County What does this mean for renters, landlords, and property managers?Renters continue to have a number of eviction protections detailed below. . The average payment has been a little over $11,000 per household. We rely on donations from readers like you to sustain Crosscut's in-depth reporting on issues critical to the PNW. The vote followed an announcement from Mayor Bruce Harrell that the moratorium would end on Feb. 28. The program also targets people of color, withnumerous reportsfindingthat people of color account for disproportionate numbers of evictions locally and nationally. Resources for Renters. Witter worries that with the eviction moratorium lifted, only those with the wherewithal to navigate the judicial system will be able to stay in their homes. The moratorium has been in place in Seattle since March 2020. The city's moratorium was set to end June 30, but Seattle and King County are still in the process of distributing tens of millions of dollars in payments to landlords on behalf of tenants who . Washington Low Income Housing Alliance full letter to Governor Inslee: Dear Governor Jay Inslee,On October 31, Washington communities will still not be prepared for the expiration of the eviction bridge proclamation. Data about how many people have fallen behind on rent in Seattle and King County is spotty at best. Skip to main content Search kingcounty.govSearch KingCounty.gov Home How do I. Currently, upon expiration, Ordinance 126075 will take effect, providing additional tenant protections including the start of a six-month period in which a renter may claim a defense against evictionfor non-payment of rent if they candemonstratefinancial hardship due to COVID-19. The King County Department of Community and Human Services, which runs the emergency rent relief program, expects to be able to help 8,000 to 9,000 households with those remaining dollars. The #Homes4WA push to end exclusionary zoning statewide will resume this session. Legal help: If you receive a pay-or-vacate notice in Seattle, call the citys Renting in Seattle Helpline at 206-684-5700 to make sure its a valid notice. If your landlord issues you an eviction notice, Housing Justice Project will provide you free legal counsel. If there is an unexpected windfall and the county can provide money to everyone whos applied, it will reopen the portal to new applicants. The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA) Action Fund (a coalition member) also has launched a letter-writing campaign to the Governor with 1,800 letters and counting sent. The county Department of Community and Human Servicessaid it will direct any additional money it receives to people who have already applied through the portal. A recent joint NPR and Harvard report finds significant growth in hardship by race and income: The majority of Black, Indigenous and Latinx households report facing serious financial hardship and many report losing all of their savings over the last several months.Washingtons renters are on the brink of instability and the only thing preventing a massive increase in evictions and homelessness are the extra protections put in place while rental assistance gets distributed. Apply onlineor call their helpline: 425-747-7274 (English) 425-620-2778 (espaol). Landlords are encouraged to contact the detective prior to the physical eviction. If the Executive continues to fail on getting out rental relief he needs to extend the moratorium for unincorporated areas. But the days just before and after the end of the moratorium have brought an uptick in calls for help, service providers say. However, when the state eviction moratorium protections were lifted, rent increases were no . For questions and general information about tenants rights, callSolid Grounds Tenant Services Message Line at 206-694-6767 or the Tenants Union of Washington State hotline at 206-723-0500 or trytenantsunion.org. Confused about the eviction moratorium expiring? Here's where Meanwhile, landlords under the new order must offer tenants a repayment plan before the eviction process is started. The city of Seattle alone has invested nearly $59 million toward rental assistance using general funds and federal funding during the last two years. In the first three days of March, after the Seattle moratorium ended, another 202 cases arrived. Theres a housing crisis we were trying to solve before Covid. Monday-Friday8:30am-4:30pm. The eviction moratorium expired on February 28, 2022. The average amount of rental assistance is around $11,000 per household, slightly higher than King Countys initial estimates.. People still dont make enough money to afford housing.. The well-paid front-of-house work he depended on still hasnt fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, he said. Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales was our guest on March 14. Executive Constantine touted the EPRAPs successes in his release. Jay Inslee announces he won't seek reelection in Washington state, Seattles about 5 inches behind normal rainfall this year, Download KING 5's Roku and Amazon Fire apps to watch live newscasts and video on demand, Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program, Organization suspected of paying fraudulent rental assistance applications, Thurston County claims, King County to stop accepting new applications for rental assistance program. For more program information and updates, please visit the United Way of King County rent help webpage found in the For Questions information box to the right. The executive order also extends certain suspensions put in place to limit the economic impact of the pandemic on Seattle residents and small businesses. According to the Housing Justice Project (HJP), an arm of the King County Bar Association that provides free legal assistance to people facing eviction, most evictions filed during the state moratorium on evictions between April 2020 and March 2021 occurred in South King County, which was also particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. I have no desire to ever throw out a tenant but I dont know what were going to do, Toepel said. Eventually, more funds could arrive. Call 211 to learn more. The governor first ordered the moratorium in March 2020, after broad swaths of economic and social life closed down amid the pandemic. The Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI) includes permitting, construction inspections, code compliance and tenant protections, and rental housing registration and inspections. Last fall, said Witter, his clients' average debt . Seattle and all of Washington must extend the eviction moratorium But Gov. P.O. The Housing Justice Project, which represents King County tenants facing eviction, is receiving 150 to 200 calls a day, up from 40 to 50 about six months ago, said senior managing attorney Edmund Witter. In January, it received 343 calls and in February the number jumped to 527. Address: Landlords can, once again, serve their tenants eviction notices for nonpayment of rent, but renters facing eviction still have several city- and state-mandated protections to help them stay in their homes. It is also important to note that King County is not at risk of having funds reallocated or taken back for being an underperforming jurisdiction based on recent Treasury guidance.. As recently as last week they are still doing database trainings for community-based organization providers. 30-Day Notice to Quit - Not every landlord-tenant situation is repairable. Much of the federal funds already allocated, which are distributed by county governments, has not made it to landlords bank accounts. An estimated 195,000 Washington renters are behind on their rent, according to a Census Bureau survey conducted in late May and early June. The county said it received an additional $66.5 million for the EPRAP program from the state's Department of Commerce. Relief slow to reach King County renters as evictions set to resume Before you make decisions about leaving your unit or agree to a payment plan, find information about your rights and how the eviction process works at washingtonlawhelp.org. and service fees can vary based on the county. Matt Hutchins was our November guest. The extension drew swift criticism from some Republican state lawmakers, who have protested the eviction bans impact on landlords and, more broadly, the governors use of sweeping emergency powers. For tenants who are actively facing eviction in court, the Housing Justice Project has a pool of about $13 million in county funds for rent assistance. 2023 Cascade Public Media. Additionally, please provide our office with all items listed on theWrit of Restitution Intake Sheet. Theorder will alsomodifyadditional COVID-relatedreliefmeasuresrelated to utility assistance. As of now, the majority of these funds have been disbursed or otherwise obligated through city partners, said Stephanie Velasco, communication director for the Office of Housing. Apply online or call their helpline: 425-747-7274 (English) 425-620-2778 (espaol). When Mayor Harrell announced that he was ending the eviction moratorium, he said the city would expedite the distribution of $25 million in state and federal dollars the city already had earmarked for rent relief. Without that, I would be homeless not a question about that one, Rigdon said. Farivar serves as policy director at Disability Rights Washington, a frequent ally of ours. The remaining funds, Velasco says, will be distributed by the end of March to Seattle households through the King County Eviction Prevention Rental Assistance Program that applied before Feb. 28. If the County continues to distribute ~$6M per week, they still have 15 weeks before that money is out the door. (The Urbanist Elections Committee endorsed Nguyen.) The citys Renting in Seattle hotline has also seen an influx of calls. The stress has been unbelievable.. I have a hard time seeing them as fully operational.. Seattle, WA 98104, Find certified small business contractors and suppliers, Department of Community and Human Services, Supporting Residents Experiencing Homelessness, COVID-19 Response: A Year in Review Timeline. EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Amharic, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Arabic, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet Dari, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - English, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - French, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Korean, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Somali, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Spanish, EPRAP Tenant Eviction Prevention Fact Sheet - Vietnamese. For nearly two years, Seattles eviction moratorium helped tenants who fell behind on rent avoid eviction and drew criticism from landlords who said they were struggling to cover their own bills. For evictions because of rent owed during the pandemic, landlords must offer tenants a payment plan with monthly payments of no more than a third of the rent. Rent assistance:King County no longer accepts new applications for rent assistance, but smaller organizations and nonprofits throughout the region still have some assistance programs. After obtaining a court order to evict a tenant,a landlord wishing to pursue an eviction should fill out theEviction Data Form, Adobe required (alternateversion)before contacting the Civil Unit for processing. In 2021, the hotline averaged about 270 calls per month, according to data from the Department of Construction and Inspections. But Inslee Thursday said some mask requirements will stay in place beyond that date for people who still arent vaccinated. The rest of the citys $25 million is being distributed by the countys other community-based organization partners, including Marys Place, El Centro de la Raza, Chief Seattle Club, Africatown International andmany others. Advocates say the key to keeping renters in their homes will be another infusion of emergency rental assistance funding. Seattle's eviction moratorium ended, but some protections remain You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Address: Heres what to know, Where the Starbucks union stands after rallies, proposed audit, Auditors flag half of Washington counties over COVID-19 aid, Starbucks union fight shows hard road for many toward contract, Mossback Upon Further Review: the Seattle Freeze and the Old South, Mossback's Northwest: The Case of the Pickled Orca, Six more months during which tenants cannot be evicted if they can show that they fell behind on rent during the pandemic, Protection for Seattle renters with school-aged children or those who work for the school district. The City continues to assess when to lift these individual suspensions as it relates to the COVID-19 emergency. When the city's moratorium on residential evictions expires, a six-month defense in court against evictions due to COVID-19 hardship will kick in, as will a defense against evictions based. Eviction prevention protections in place today vary by jurisdiction. Anecdotally, Witter and United Way's McGowan agreed that, with each week of the pandemic, the amount of debt individual renters owe has grown. Find information about your rights and how the eviction process works at washingtonlawhelp.org. Giusts landlord, Laura Toepel, cant apply directly to the county for help because the countys program opened only to larger landlords this spring. In an email, Inslee spokesperson Tara Lee wrote that The programs need to be operational so that a tenant or landlord could at least submit an application for assistance or request to participate in the resolution process.. What will happen on February 28 when the moratorium expires? Over the past five weeks as both the County and local partners have conducted outreach efforts, nearly 10,000 new households have applied to the program, indicating that need in the community remains high, the Executives office wrote. Housing advocates also point to weekly housing surveys which shows tenants continue to struggle to make rent. Money has started flowing, however, to landlords in other Puget Sound counties. The Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition (of which The Urbanist and HJP are members) is urging the Governor to extend the moratorium through the years end. This marks the sixth extension of the eviction moratoriumas part of the COVID-19 civil emergency since March 14, 2020,when Seattle declared one of the firstevictionmoratoriumsin the country. For everyone landlords and tenants.. The vast majority of those funds are still available. He graduated from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington. However, Harrell's office said it's difficult to track the number of people who have benefited from the moratorium. (Interpreters are available.). For tenants who have already applied for rent assistance, King County will continue to select recipients using a lottery system. Still, housing advocates dispute if that last-minute surge equals a fully operational program. For most of the thousands of households in Seattle and King County behind on their rent, relief money will likely mean the difference between eviction and staying housed. 60,000 Seattle area renters are behind on rent, and the WBBA has been working with the Dow [Constantine], and we are thankful to see the progress thats being made.
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