Drafter
Clerk 04/30/2024
Title
A MOTION requesting the executive establish a policy prioritizing households of certain income levels for eviction prevention and rental assistance programs and requesting a report.
Body
WHEREAS, the eviction prevention and rental assistance program was established in August of 2020 to assist households economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and
WHEREAS, the eviction prevention and rental assistance program was administered by the department of community and human services in partnership with thirty-five local community based organizations to operate three programs, specifically the tenant program, the small landlord program, and the large landlord program, and
WHEREAS, in the 2021 legislative session, the Washington state Legislature approved Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1277, establishing a one-hundred-dollar surcharge on recorded documents to fund housing services, including the Department of Commerce eviction prevention rental assistance program, and
WHEREAS, the 2023-2024 biennial budget allocated approximately $20,500,000 in anticipated eviction prevention rental assistance program funding, and
WHEREAS, recent reports of misuse of King County eviction prevention rental assistance moneys, including one instance of a tenant who received assistance from the Housing Justice Project and did not pay rent despite earning an income and caused the housing provider to become homeless, have demonstrated the need for increased aid applicant screening and standards in order to prevent fraud and protect public trust, and
WHEREAS, instances of misuse of eviction prevention and rental assistance moneys pose significant financial burdens to housing providers, especially given the extensive backlog of eviction cases in the King County superior court, and
WHEREAS, the Rental Housing Association of Washington has reported that the misuse of eviction prevention rental assistance funds damages the availability of afford...
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