Lamentablemente, el puente de protecciones estatales de desalojo, expiraron ayer. A menos que las ciudades extiendan estas protecciones, ya que muchas ciudades en todo el estado lo han hecho, esto significa que los inquilinos ahora recibirán las notificaciones de “pagar en 14 días” o avisos de desocupación y comenzarán a ser desalojados a mediados de diciembre. LOS INQUILINOS NO DEBEN MUDARSE Y NO DEBEN IGNORAR ESTOS AVISOS. Las nuevas leyes brindan tiempo, ayuda y permiten a los inquilinos permanecer alojados durante todo el proceso de desalojo, pero las leyes no funcionan si se ignoran los avisos.
Los inquilinos que reciban avisos que conducirán a un desalojo deben llamar a la Línea de evaluación de inquilinos al 855-657-8387. Esto los pondrá en línea y en su lugar para el derecho a un abogado.
Los inquilinos deben ir a la corte cuando se les entregue una citación para el desalojo. Esta puede ser su única oportunidad de obtener un abogado si no participaron en una mediación o no estuvieron de acuerdo con un plan de pago.
Aquí hay excelentes recursos que explican el nuevo proceso que requiere que los propietarios y los inquilinos medien, aplica la asistencia de alquiler y un plan de pago razonable para minimizar el desplazamiento.
Ayuda de la ley de Washington:
https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/eviction
El Fiscal General de Washington hizo cumplir la moratoria y ha desarrollado esta página que contiene formularios escritos en muchos idiomas:
https://www.atg.wa.gov/landlord-tenant
Washington Low Income Housing Alliance ha creado esta explicación de los detalles de las nuevas leyes estatales:
https://www.wliha.org/blog/washington-eviction-process-overviewFECHA
DE: [NOMBRE DEL INQUILINO]
[DIRECCIÓN DEL INQUILINO]
[CONTACTO DEL INQUILINO]
Para: [NOMBRE DEL PROPIETARIO]
[DIRECCIÓN DEL PROPIETARIO]
RE: Respuesta a la oferta del plan de pago
Estimado [arrendador]:
Esta carta es una respuesta a su oferta de plan de pago con fecha de _________.
Estoy dispuesto a trabajar con usted para celebrar un acuerdo de pago, pero no puedo aceptar el Plan de pago que me ha ofrecido por las siguientes razones:
El plan de pago que me ha ofrecido no es razonable en función de mis circunstancias financieras.
La Sección 4 de SB 5160 establece que "El tribunal debe considerar las circunstancias del inquilino, incluida la disminución de ingresos o el aumento de gastos debido a COVID-19, y los términos del plan de pago ofrecidos durante cualquier procedimiento de retención ilegal".
Actualmente gano / Mi ingreso familiar total es $ _____ / mes.
[Incluya cualquier comprobante de ingresos, incluidos los recibos de pago, para respaldar su reclamo].
Mis gastos mensuales incluyen lo siguiente:
[Enumere los gastos, incluidos el alquiler, los servicios públicos, la comida, los gastos personales / de salud y / u otros].
[También puede incluir cualquier otra dificultad en curso, incluso en el proceso de solicitar / recibir asistencia pública / ingresos fijos o circunstancias que sean el resultado de la pandemia de COVID-19.]
[Opción 1: (si no es elegible para la asistencia de alquiler o no solicita)]
Por las razones mencionadas anteriormente, solo puedo pagar $ _____ / mes en este momento.
[Opción 2:]
Solicité ayuda para el alquiler a través de __________________ y mi primera cita fue el _________.
He enviado los siguientes documentos a _______________ como parte de mi solicitud de asistencia para el alquiler.
___ Verificación de ingresos
___ Contrato de arrendamiento
___ Información de contacto del propietario
___ Otro
Explicar: _________________________________________
Además de solicitar ayuda para el alquiler, también he tomado los siguientes pasos para mejorar mis circunstancias financieras.
[Incluya factores como nuevo empleo, aumento de horas de trabajo, otras formas de asistencia]
También estoy dispuesto a concertar una cita con el Centro de resolución de disputas para la mediación / conciliación con la ayuda de un tercero neutral para llegar a un acuerdo de plan de pago que funcione para todas las partes involucradas.
Se adjuntan los siguientes documentos:
[Incluya copias de los documentos a los que se hace referencia en este documento].
Pueden comunicarse conmigo en [correo electrónico / teléfono]
Atentamente,
Nombre en letra de imprenta: _______________
Firma: _________________
Fecha: _____________________DATE
Tenants who receive notices that will lead to an eviction should call the Tenant Screening Line at 855-657-8387. This will get them in line and in place for the right to counsel.
Please inform tenants that they must go to court when they are served a summons for the eviction. This may be their only opportunity to obtain an attorney if they did not engage in mediation or agree to a repayment plan.
Here are excellent resources that explain the new process that requires landlords and tenants to mediate, applies rental assistance and a reasonable repayment plan to minimize displacement.
Eviction Resolution Program:
]]>This legislation was won through strategic work from tenant leaders, advocates, coalition members, and legislative leaders! It is a critical step in beginning to address the harm faced by black renters and renters of color, who are disproportionately evicted from their homes (https://evictions.study/)
Thank you to our partners, who championed this change together:
Representative Nicole Macri (43rd LD, Seattle), Senator Patty Kuderer (48th LD, Redmond), Representative Laurie Jinkins (27th LD, Tacoma), Representative Melanie Morgan (29th LD, Lakewood), Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, King County Housing Justice Project, Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee, Washington CAN, Columbia Legal Services, Northwest Justice Project, Dr. Tim Thomas, Resident Action Project members, and more!
SB 5600 / HB 1453 Eviction Reform
● The 3 day pay-or-vacate notice period is now extended to 14 days, to allow tenants more time to wait for the next paycheck or apply for emergency rental assistance if they fall behind on rent.
● Judges are now permitted to use more discretion when considering the context of the tenant’s situation, including ordering the option of a payment plan, which will help people keep their homes after they face an unforeseen crisis.
● Landlords cannot evict tenants for non-payment of late fees, legal fees, or court costs, and payments must be applied to rent before other charges.
(The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance also hosted a great webinar that goes into much more detail about the legislation, and you can watch it here: https://vimeo.com/338104729)
HB 1440 Extending notice period required for rent increases
● Landlords will now be required to give a 60-day written notice for any rent increase (doubling the previous notice period of 30 days).
These changes come into effect on July 28, 2019. We will be having a party to celebrate, so check back on our website and facebook for details!
During this session, we advocated for our top priority of statewide Just Cause protections. This law would require that landlords provide a valid business reason for terminating a month-to-month lease. At the moment, landlords can issue a 20-day notice of termination, without giving a reason, even when tenants are current in rent and following all rules of the lease. Unfortunately this creates a way for landlords to use this avenue as a means of discrimination and retaliation. Although Just Cause legislation did not pass this year, we will continue fighting for statewide renter stability, and we need your help to make it happen!
Join us at our Statewide Renter Power Assembly in September 2019!
● Gather with tenant organizers and leaders from across the state of Washington for an amazing weekend to build our collective power!
● Follow us on facebook @tenantsunion and check out our website later this summer for more details on how to register.
● Talk together with your neighbors about how you want to fight together for housing as a human right, and join the TU!
www.tenantsunion.org/membership
]]>The Tenants Union is excited to announce that the Hotline will be open Saturdays as of 3/30/2019!
Check out the updated schedule below-
(206) 723-0500
Mon: 10am-12:30pm & 1:30-4pm
Tues: 10am-12:30pm & 1:30-4pm
Wed: 10am-12:30pm & 1:30-4pm
Thurs: 10am-12:30pm
Sat: 11am-3pm
The tenants of the Chateau Apartments, at 19th and Fir, are being displaced by Cadence Real Estate. Cadence, a $185-million for-profit development corporation and owner of Chateau, has announced plans to demolish the building, displacing all of the working-class tenants.
The tenants are organizing and fighting back! Please sign this petition to support the Chateau tenants, and indeed all tenants facing eviction and displacement.
–Chateau Tenant Rossell Johnson
]]>Goal $ 2000.00
34% towards our goal
$ 685.00 raised
Please click HERE to donate! Thank you for your generosity!
Thank you for supporting our team to raise funds for Got Green.
As the threats of climate change, economic inequality, and racism escalate in our new political era, Got Green will continue to build grassroots power and fight for our environment and our communities.
We are reaching out to you and your community as a chance to work together in rebuilding our office so that it
is accountable to you and your community. We are here to learn what role you wish we could play in your
community, how we can build an accountable relationship with your community, and what your community’s
biggest barriers are where we can provide support. This information will be included in a larger report to City
Council to determine what changes need to occur to the Office for Civil Rights. City Council will consider the
recommendations from this report and make any necessary changes to the department.
Click here to donate now!
]]>Para más información, envíe su solicitud en línea: bit.ly/PoderInquilinoSolicitud
o llame: 206.722.6848 ×105 para solicitarla por teléfono
Primary Benefits to Enacting Just Cause
· Meaningful enforcement of Fair Housing laws
· Healthier & Safe Homes.
· Homelessness Prevention.
· Sustainable future for families in Tacoma
Overview
Unlike tenants in more than 25 other jurisdictions, residential tenants in the City of Tacoma currently do not benefit from the protection of a “just cause” eviction ordinance. This leaves us open to unfair treatment or retaliation, unhealthy or unsafe living conditions, discrimination, and in some cases homelessness. Current state law only requires a landlord to terminate a tenancy in writing, with only 20-days’ notice to move. Tenants who are served with a 20 day notice to vacate may not find another home. This instability is damaging to the health of our community.
A Just Cause Eviction Ordinance ending no cause evictions would still permit landlords to evict tenants who fail to pay rent or violate their lease and would clearly define for both landlords and tenants about what other “causes” are allowable to evict. In other words, it would create no changes for good landlords. As a public policy tool Just Cause promotes fair housing practices, improves health and safety by protecting tenants who seek building improvements, and prevents homelessness by limiting arbitrary terminations.Many cities across the nation have implemented just cause ordinances, and have a proven track record of working for both landlords and tenants. For example; Los Angeles, West Hollywood, New Jersey, Santa Monica, Washington D.C., East Palo Alto, and Seattle have all implemented this law. Seattle is the only city in Washington State to currently have enacted Just Cause, which has protected renters for over 30 years.
Model Just Cause Eviction Ordinance for the City of Tacoma
Just Cause does not mean that a landlord cannot terminate rental agreement or evict a tenant. Remedies that are already currently available to landlords to evict tenants for failure to pay rent or failure to comply are not affected by a Just Cause Eviction ordinance. It will create clarity for both landlords and tenants on what grounds can lead to an eviction. A model ordinance for Tacoma would include the following eleven just causes for terminating a tenancy:
A. The tenant fails to comply with a three day notice to pay rent or vacate; a ten day notice to comply or vacate, or a three day notice to vacate for waste, nuisance, drug activity, or unlawful business.
B. The tenant habitually fails to pay rent when due which causes the owner to notify the tenant in writing of late rent five or more times in a 6 month period.
C. The tenant fails to comply with a ten day notice to comply or vacate that requires compliance with a material term of a rental agreement or requires compliance with the landlord-tenant act.
D. The tenant habitually fails to comply with the material terms of the rental agreement which causes the owner to serve a ten day notice to comply or vacate four or more times in a 12 month period.
E. The owner seeks possession and gives the tenant 90 days written notice to vacate so that the owner or a member of their immediate family may occupy the unit.
F. The tenant’s occupancy is conditioned on employment on the property and the employment relationship is terminated.
G. The owner seeks to do substantial rehabilitation in the building that requires at least one permit from the City.
H. The owner elects to demolish the building or convert it to a cooperative, or a condominium that requires a permit from the City.
I. The owner seeks to reduce the number of individuals residing in a dwelling unit to comply with the maximum limit of individuals allowed to occupy one dwelling unit.
J. An emergency order requiring that the housing unit be vacated and closed has been issued and the emergency conditions identified in the order have not been corrected.
K. The owner seeks to discontinue sharing with a tenant of the owner’s own housing unit, and gives 90-days’ notice to each affected tenant.
Enforcement
Just Cause eviction protections can be enforced either as a legal defense the tenant can raise in court, or by having a city agency enforce the law.
Most tenants cannot afford an attorney and are therefore at a disadvantage if they have to raise a defense in court themselves. Many tenants will not be aware they even have the right to just cause if they go to court.
A city agency, such as Code Enforcement, that enforces the law is far more effective. Tenants will be able to submit notices to the department that would receive complaints for Just Cause violations, and enable them to invalidate the notice and notify the landlord. This will reduce the court caseload as improper evictions would not be allowed to go forward.
]]>Please join us to discuss current campaigns and build tenant connections while we share conversation and snacks. Counselors will be available to talk if you have a rental issue.
For childcare, translation, or other accessibility requests please email: [email protected]
]]>WHEN: Tuesday, May 15th, 4:30 pm
WHERE: 747 Market St, outside Tacoma Municipal Building
WHO: Tiki Tenants Organizing Committee
[email protected], @TacomaTenants
Tenants Union of Washington
Supporters of tenants’ rights
CONTACTS:
Donna Seay, 253-328-3840
Brian Skiffington, 253-370-3576
WHY:
Tacoma is in the midst of a severe housing crisis. The city drafted recommendations to address affordable housing almost 10 years ago, but hardly any action was taken. Now things have reached a boiling point and renters are coming together to assert our rights. 40% of households in Tacoma pay more than ⅓ of our income on housing. We cannot afford to stay in our homes, and many of us are being forced out.
After a Seattle developer bought the Tiki apts, over 100 tenants were given just 25 days to leave their homes. Some of these Tacomans had lived in these apartments for over 30 years. Others had found Tiki as a refuge from the streets. “I have lived in the streets my whole life homeless because I had no choice,” said Donna Seay, former Tiki tenant. “Greed has become more important than a human being’s life. I will not stop but will build this movement until change is made permanently.” The tenants joined together and pressured the City to take action, and an emergency ordinance was passed to provide more time and relocation assistance. But we need permanent solutions.
This mass displacement is representative of a systemic issue. Tenants’ rights have not been adequately acknowledged, and we are here to call on all the renters of Tacoma to join us in the movement for tenant protections and just housing policies. We’re inviting you to sign on to our letter to show the Mayor and City Council that we need Just Cause eviction protections and rent regulation NOW! Residents have been left out of the decision-making, and it is time for our voices to be heard!
After the press conference, we will attend the City Council meeting to provide input on the Tacoma Mall sub-area plan. We commend that the plan has inclusionary zoning, which requires developers to build affordable housing for residents who earn 50% of the area median income ($26,000/year). This is a crucial step to getting more affordable homes in our region. But we NEED a city-wide inclusionary zoning policy. All new developments in the city must include housing for residents with the greatest need. This model has been used across the country, and it begins to reverse the policies that have historically harmed marginalized people, including communities of color, low income residents, and people with disabilities.
]]>Please join us to discuss current campaigns and build tenant connections while we share conversation and snacks. Counselors will be available to talk if you have a rental issue.
This Month we will be joined by residents from McDermont Place in Lake City and The Reserve in Renton who have recently organized and won victories against their respective management!
For childcare, translation, or other accessibility requests please email: [email protected]
]]>This horrifying situations brings to harsh light how badly we need Just Cause protections statewide!
]]>Also, check out this the Stranger article
]]>Excerpt from the site:
President Trump’s budget proposal for next year will be released on February 12. Then the Trump Administration will try to sell Congress and the public on his priorities. You need to know what’s proposed, and how it affects low- and moderate-income people and communities. Last year, the Trump budget included massive cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, housing, help for people with disabilities, education and job training, social services, and public and environmental health programs. Find out what’s the same or different, and whether they will package cuts under the theme of promoting work.
You’ll hear from federal budget expert Sharon Parrott, Senior Fellow and Senior Counselor at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, get brand new related poll findings from expert John Halpin, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, brief action steps from Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, and added anti-hunger budget details from moderator Ellen Teller, Director of Government Affairs at the Food Research and Action Center. There will be time for questions.
The webinar will be recorded, and all registrants will get the recording link, slides, and follow-up information. So please register now!
]]>By Cliff Cawthon, Contributing Writer
While walking along in Columbia City’s business district, I noticed and shuddered at the installation of paid-parking zones. My mind started to contemplate the re-structuring of Seattle’s newest “hip” neighborhood. The orange flags identified new pay meters, but they also meant something more: Columbia City, like the commons of old, was being enclosed and reserved. There definitely wasn’t any going back.
The gentrification of Columbia City isn’t a new topic. This recent small, but noticeable parking change, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation, was designed to address the “absence of available parking” in the neighborhood.
For the better part of two decades now, longtime residents and newer residents who’ve reflected the neighborhood’s traditional non-white and working-class character have been pushed out. Many have been lamenting this phenomenon, confronting it, trying to adapt to it, and/ or fighting like hell against it.
Violet Lavatai, the Interim Executive Director of the Tenants Union of Washington, is not just someone who is currently fighting displacement but she has also been forced out of Columbia City. (Full disclosure: I am co-chair of the Tenants Union board of directors.)
In 1975, Lavatai’s family moved from California to Columbia City to stay with her uncle. Today neither she nor her uncle, siblings or cousins can afford to live in the neighborhood and have moved elsewhere. I sat down and discussed how the neighborhood went from a largely working-class, people-of-color neighborhood to a largely middle-class neighborhood filled with fancy niche stores and gourmet restaurants.
]]>HB 2578 / SB 5407 Banning Source of Income Discrimination
● This bill would require landlords to accept Section 8, HEN, and VASH vouchers along with all other sources of income when considering a renters application and make it illegal to discriminate against these alternative sources of income
● It also requires landlords to accept temporary subsidies and one time payments from non-profit or other sources on behalf of tenants who currently live in the property
HB 2040 / SB5408 Increasing notice length for no-cause terminations of tenancy
● This bill would increase the notice period for no cause terminations of tenancy from 20 days to 30 days in all cases and expand it to 60 days notice if a tenant has lived in the same unit for 2 years or more
● Currently this bill would require tenants to give 30 days notice prior to ending a month to month tenancy and 60 days notice if they have lived in the unit over 2 years. An amendment process is under way to change the bill by ensuring that tenants only need to give 30 days notice prior to vacating regardless of the length of their tenancy
HB 2583 / SB 6400 Return decision making to cities
● This bill would remove the state level law that currently prevents cities from regulating rent. It would allow local cities to make the decision about how best to serve tenants and regulate housing prices
HB 2804 Just Cause (and then some)
● This bill expands the current Residential Landlord-Tenant Act to apply to seasonal agricultural employees and resident managers who are currently excluded from it
● It extends the period of notice that tenants are given when they are behind on rent or not in compliance with their lease to 14 days (currently it is 3 and 10 days respectively)
● It prevents the termination of tenancy and eviction of tenants except for a just cause which it defines as:
○ nonpayment of rent
○ noncompliance with the lease
○ the owner intends to occupy the unit, and if the tenant is elderly or disabled has provided them with a new unit to move into first
○ the owner chooses to “withdraw the premises from the rental market”
○ the owner plans to demolish or remodel the unit and has obtained permits to do so
○ the unit is condemned
Call you state legislators!
● If you don’t know who your legislators are you can find out by going to http://app.leg.wa.gov/mobile/FindYourLegislator/
● Call them and tell them that you support tenants rights! Be specific and reference the bill numbers on the other side of the sheet so they know which bills you are calling to support
Talk to other tenants!
● Strength in numbers is our best way to make these changes happen. We as tenants need to be informed about what options are out there so we can push to make them happen.
● Form a Tenants Association in your building, the TU can help
● When talking with other renters be sure to mention all of these exciting opportunities we have to expand our rights
● When we dream together and fight we can make the positive changes we need!
Celebrate with the Tenants Union as we party at the end of another successful year of organizing and advocating for the tenants of Washington State. We’ve made some great strides for housing justice and will be continuing to expand our outreach and mission to serve our members in 2018. Let’s take a night to celebrate what we’ve done and toast our efforts as we continue serving the housing community.
To help us celebrate there will be free food (vegetarian, vegan, and halal options available), some karaoke, and a fun relaxed atmosphere.
It’s gonna be a party and we look forward to seeing you all there!
Thursday, December 7th
5:00-8:00pm
Ethiopian Community in Seattle – ECS
8323 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98118
For more information, contact us at [email protected]
]]>Budgets are boring for a reason – to keep us from paying attention! But we can’t let that stop us from making our voices heard. The Seattle City Council is currently making 2018 budget decisions. We’re grateful that the Council continues to express support for renters, but we need more. Please take action this week to ensure the Council listens to and supports the renters who make up 54% of its population.
Here at the Tenants Union we are on track to serve more than 2,000 renters this year in Seattle alone. But we’re still not able to help every Seattle tenant trying to access our programs. We’re excited at the prospect of funding more tenant outreach, but we still aren’t able to help every tenant who comes to our door. Please tell your councilmembers seattle tenants need more than $200k to truly support renter services and outreach in our city.
Here’s how you can support:
Call AND email your councilmembers! Everyone in Seattle city limits is represented by a district council member as well as at-large councilmembers Kirsten Harris-Talley and Lorena González. Find your district here!
Sample script: “Hi I’m a Seattle renter and I’m calling to thank you for supporting more tenant outreach and education but to urge you to find more than $200,000 for this important work. I’ve used the help of the Tenants Union but I know not every renter is able to get into their clinics. Please help them expand their programs and share their expertise with more Seattle renters. We are a majority in this city and we’re tired of being overlooked. Can I count on your support of Seattle tenants?”
Contact info:
[email protected] will go to all the council members
CM Debora Juarez – 206-684-8805
[email protected]
CM Lorena Gonzalez 206-684-8802
[email protected]
CM Bruce Harrell – 206-684-8804
[email protected]
CM Rob Johnson – 206-684-8808
[email protected]
CM Lisa Herbold
[email protected]
CM Sally Bagshaw – 206-684-8801
[email protected]
CM Kshama Sawant – 206-684-8016
[email protected]
CM Mike O’Brien – 206-684-8800
[email protected]
CM Kirsten Harris-Talley – 206-684-8806
[email protected]
Charmaine and her two children are being evicted from their Vancouver home because her landlords wouldn’t accept non-profit rent assistance. No family should lose their home because of source of income discrimination. Take action today and tell the Ono Family and Dove Property Management they should make the right choice!
1. Call Landlords Kenneth and Tomoko Ono at 360.256.6305 and Tracy Judah at Dove Property Management at 360.448.2851
Sample script “Hi I’m calling to urge you to drop the eviction against Charmaine and make sure she isn’t charged for the attorney fees you chose to spend when you didn’t have to. Please promise to cooperate with non-profits offering rent assistance for any future tenants who need it – don’t put people out on the street when help is not only available but promised to you. Be a better business, do the moral thing, drop this case, and make sure Charmaine and her family are safe.
2. Post to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DovePropertyManagement
Sample post: “I read the article in The Columbian and cannot believe you’re evicting a single mother who had rent assistance guaranteed. We need businesses like you to be examples for the community by doing what’s right, and evicting this family is WRONG. Drop the eviction case against Charmaine and make sure she isn’t charged for legal fees that never should have been spent in the first place. And please make a public promise that you will accept rent assistance from future families who need it instead of trying to kick them out of their homes when they’re already experiencing other troubles.
3. Come to court Friday November 3rd at 10:30am in Vancouver, WA – email [email protected] for details
]]>TONIGHT:
10/19/2017 at 6pm
Seattle City Hall
The Seattle City budget is a moral document that reveals the values of our city’s elected officials. So we know what it means when they pass a business-as-usual budget year after year: wasting millions on inhumane and ineffective sweeps of homeless people while catering to the interests of big business and a bloated budget for the police department.
*Stop the sweeps of homeless community members. *Fund social services for everyone’s safety and health, as an alternative to sweeps. *Fund services for homeless children in Seattle Public Schools and for survivors of domestic violence ans sexual abuse. *Urgently build more affordable housing.
Through our annual People’s Budget movement, we have already won important victories, such as City-authorized safe homeless encampments with funded services for the first time in the city’s history, $29 million for affordable housing, and funding for humane alternatives to incarceration.
Join the People’s Budget movement! Let’s Stop the Sweeps and win millions toward affordable housing and services! Let’s lay the basis for a future budget that truly serves the needs of ordinary people and not those of big business and the super rich.
]]>The hits keep coming with Seattle Housing Authority.
On July 6, 2017 Edna Thornton walked into our clinic and was so overwhelmed with sadness that we had to console her. She shared with our Tenant Counselor that she was facing eviction from Seattle Housing Authority. Her family had gone through recently domestic violence, and her teenage child was going through his own issues lashing out after being bullied in school and getting into trouble. Edna has been diagnosed with many different mental issues and her son was also diagnosed with ADHD. She has lived as a SHA resident for 12 years and knows firsthand what it feels like to be homeless. Edna said that she lives in fear every day of being evicted.
The month of July has been the hardest for her, facing unexpected expenses and eviction. The amazing support agencies POCAAN (People of Color Against Aids Network) & Urban League have stepped up to help Edna with rent and all of her other needs, but when she contacted her property manager to pay her rent the manager told her, “We will not accept your rent and we will go through with the eviction.” What? Seattle Housing Authority is supposed to exist to serve the poor, to serve low-income communities with housing. Have we reached out to Mr. Andrew Lofton regarding these issues? Yes, twice. His Administrative Assistant Kimberly said that she will take care of it at her level, never giving the phone to Mr. Lofton.
SHA has summoned Edna to court on August 9, 2017 at 9:00 am, W325. We are putting out the call to all advocates, SHA tenants, and whoever would like to join us at court with Edna. We want not one more family on the streets!
Edna is a single mother who has also done her part in getting help for her family. She and her family met with counselors 3 times a week, her son meets one on one with his own counselor, and Edna is taking steps in getting help to live a better life for her 2 children and her 3 month old granddaughter. We wish we could tell you that Edna’s story is unique, but it is not. Residents are being pushed out of Seattle and our hope is Edna is not one of them.
Please share on social media and use our hashtags!
#saveednathorntoshome #notonemorefamilyonthestreets #shaaddingtothehomelessstyle="color:red;">]]>When: July 13, 2017
Where: 5623 Rainier Ave South Seattle, WA 98118
Time: 6-8:30 pm
There have been numerous complaints coming in from SHA residents.
Seattle Housing Authority is charging tenants with repair costs and also over-charging residents with water utility charges. Tenants are getting charges on ledgers that do not make sense, rent payments are being lost in the mail, and tenants are getting eviction notices.
We will hold a meeting to discuss these issues and complaints and to take action on how SHA will stop and address all of these issues. The meeting at the Hillman City Collaboratory for all Seattle Housing Residents. Please write out any complaints or share with us at the meeting.
Contact Violet Lavatai at (206) 722-6848 × 102 or [email protected]
]]>There’s three ways to help us support Got Green’s crucial efforts to create a more just world:
1. Make a personally meaningful donation (which varies for everyone! For some it may be $5 while for others $50 is possible) to our TENACIOUS TENANTS team here: http://bit.ly/2o764aF
2. Join us this Saturday, April 22 to build community power at the Green-a-Thon as we door knock and have conversations with neighbors in South Seattle to engage more folx in Got Green’s work.
3. Share our fundraising link or event to your networks and post your well wishes and love for Got Green in our event page! https://www.facebook.com/events/779201918907664/
]]>Spokane City Council is voting to protect tenants from discrimination against the use of housing vouchers and other alternative source of income to pay rent. This new section is included in the proposed human rights chapter that will be added to the Spokane Municipal Code. This new chapter will capture all civil/human rights language from the existing code and codify human rights in Spokane. It will specifically recognize the ordinances that protect undocumented immigrants in law enforcement process, prohibit the creation of any religious registry and most importantly adds a housing section to the human rights code.
If you cannot attend the city council meeting at Spokane City Hall please send a message to council members urging passage to protect tenants in Spokane and recognize human rights for all. The current rental housing market in Spokane is experiencing an historic low vacancy rate hovering around 1%. This is causing tenants in our low income city, particularly from vulnerable communities, to live at risk of becoming homeless every day. The recent increase of hate incidents in Spokane directed at people of color, non-Christian religious communities and immigrant communities reaffirms the need for human rights protections for everyone. Thank you.
Ben Stuckart, Council President: [email protected]
Karen Stratton: [email protected]
Candace Mumm: [email protected]
Breean Beggs: [email protected]
Lori Kinnear: [email protected]
Amber Waldref: [email protected]
Mike Fagan: [email protected]
Our Spokane staff are women of color who have dedicated themselves to fighting for some of the most vulnerable members of society. As an organization we stand in solidarity with our staff and their neighbors in full condemnation of this hateful act. It is shameful that in this political climate that this is not an isolated incident, but a further eruption of the festering bias in our communities. We at the Tenants Union refuse to capitulate to fear, and each renew our commitment to build a more just and inclusive society starting with housing as a human right.
Jessa Lewis, Executive Director
]]>In early August, residents of the two buildings as well as a neighboring building were sent short notices informing them that their buildings would no longer accept HCVs. These announcements left around 75 households, including many children, at risk of displacement by the end of the year. Tenants who looked for alternative housing found that concerning numbers of landlords are denying units to HCV-holders.
The tenants will continue to work with attorney Scott Crain of the Northwest Justice Project to finalize negotiations. Further, many tenants will continue to partner with ally organizations, including the Tenants Union of Washington, the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, All Home, and others, to work to bring source of income discrimination (SOID) protections to the City of Renton as well as the State of Washington. As the housing affordability and homelessness crisis continues to spread throughout the region, protections for low-income renters will become imperative so as to prevent mass displacement.
The City of Renton will begin considering SOID protections on Monday, November 7.
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