Expiring Eviction Moratorium & Rental Assistance

Governor Inslee’s moratorium on evictions is set to expire on June 30. While the Governor has indicated he may institute a revised version as a stopgap measure until counties can get their rental assistance programs more fully up and running, the situation remains quite serious with an estimated 11,000+ Pierce County residents behind on rent for multiple months due to pandemic-related income loss.

We spent the better part of our Study Session yesterday understanding State Senate Bill (SB) 5160 and its implications for tenants and landlords. Most of the provisions of the bill take effect once the eviction moratorium is lifted. SB 5160 sets up a series of interventions before a landlord can evict a tenant due to non-payment of rent. The major goal of the bill is to keep people housed. We know evictions is one of the top 5 causes of homelessness and we also know that it is much less expensive and more humane to keep people housed, than to get folks to stable housing after falling into homelessness. If you are a landlord or tenant in need of this assistance or know someone who could use this help, you may find more information at this website.

Our Study Session also focused on the intense effort to get our Rental & Utility Assistance Program to support the most people in need in the most efficient way possible. You may listen to the Study Session here (starting at about minute 4) to understand all of the moving pieces with these programs and how we are trying to improve them.

If you or someone you know could benefit from rental and/or utility assistance, please see this site.

Affordable housing and homelessness remain a very top priority for our Council and you will continue to see many actions, investments and policies in the coming months to make an impact here.