Good afternoon, my name is Tram Tran Larson with an O, and I'm the Community Engagement Manager at the Housing Justice Project.
We're an eviction defense clinic serving low-income renters in King County.
I'm here today to not only speak in support of Councilmember Morales' legislation, but to emphasize just how dire of a situation we are facing come July 1st, when the city, state, and federal moratoriums have expired.
I know numbers and data are helpful for folks, so I thought I would share some data that others in HJP have gathered.
The most recent point in time count showed a 5% increase in homelessness.
The US Pulse survey estimates that around 150 to 160,000 households in Washington State are behind on rent, and almost 50,000 of those households are in King County alone.
With an average of two to three persons per household, we are looking between 96 to 144,000 adults and kids entering the homelessness system by this summer.
And an eviction crisis and exacerbation of homelessness, unlike anything this country, let alone this area, has ever seen before.
And would take years, if ever, to recover from.
According to data from the 2019 eviction filings, Seattle topped the list for most filings.
Even with Seattle's just cause eviction ordinance that dates back to 1980, the city still had the second highest number of no cause eviction filings in the county because of landlords utilizing this loophole.
We have already been hearing from renters around the city that their landlord is awaiting the day the moratorium lifts so they can issue those notices of non-renewals.
This loophole has long allowed for landlords to discriminate against renters for any reason because they do not need to provide a reason when not renewing their lease.
This pandemic has brought a lot of our countries and equities to the forefront.
We applauded those deemed essential or frontline workers, the frontline workers that are largely made up of women, 64%, and people of color, 41%.
All who were at a higher risk for contracting COVID.
The same frontline workers who are notoriously underpaid, as evident when over 30% are considered low income.
Essential workers who briefly received hazard pay and have now gone back to barely making a livable wage.
We should be less concerned about whether or not we are thanking them for risking their lives, for the rest of us to access our basic needs, and rather whether or not we are willing to discard them once things go back to normal.
Are they only essential when we needed something from them?
Or are they essential when their housing and livelihood is also on the line?
Because women, specifically black women, and people of color are more likely to be evicted, and we know evictions are a leading cause of homelessness.
Let's add another layer to this crisis that I think is a crucial part of the conversation.
Black folks make up less than 8% of Seattle's population.
According to data from the city government's own website, 58% of black households are rent burdened.
meaning they spend more than 30% of their income towards rent.
When you combine all of these aspects, gentrification, loopholes in tenant protections, income inequity, and the usual racism and misogyny, how are we not perpetuating cycles of poverty amongst black and other people of color?
How are we not setting them up to get taken advantage of by predatory landlords?
Seattle, a city where elected officials and the well-meaning white folks cry Black Lives Matter and asserts itself as a sanctuary city for immigrants, meanwhile continues to segregate black and brown folks into lower-resource neighborhoods if gentrification hasn't already pushed them further and further outside city limits.
Mind you, into jurisdictions that, until recently, had less or no protections at all.
Everyone talks about going back to normal and getting their lives back on track when we have almost 50,000 households in the area holding their breath to see if the moratorium will be extended at the last minute, or if they should start figuring out where to store their belongings, who their kids will stay with, or if they should invest in a car to live out of.
There's a renter in Seattle that I work with who consistently lives in fear that this moratorium will lift.
And his landlord will give him a notice to not renew his expired lease.
He knows full well that if he would become homeless with his health conditions, die on the streets.
This is a horrific reality that so many are facing.
The pandemic will end and soon some of us will forget what this year plus was like but black indigenous immigrants and other communities of color will suffer lasting impacts.
Seattle and King County had a housing crisis long before March 2020 and will remain for long after COVID.
Your neighbors don't need words of solidarity.
They need permanent protections to keep a roof over their heads and shield them from landlords who weaponize the system through discriminatory, racist and prejudicial acts.
It is not by chance that black folks make up less than 7% of the county's population, but represent 25% of the unhoused.
It is not a coincidence that indigenous folks barely make up 1% of the population, but 15% of the unhoused.
This is not up for debate.
Access to housing is a racial justice issue.
You can look around you right now and see our unhoused neighbors in the streets, on the sidewalks, under freeways, all around the city.
Do you think we have the capacity to withstand an influx of tens of thousands more individuals without a stable roof over their heads?
Even if we could, why would we want to?
We should do better and we can do better.
And remember that every time we don't, it's an active choice that we're making to fail the most marginalized in our communities.
So this is one step of many and I'm hopeful to see all the community support and the leadership that council member Morales has taken.
So let's keep up the momentum.
Thank you.
Thank you, Tram.
Next, we will have Julissa Sanchez, who is a tenant organizer and tenant educator at the Tenants Union of Washington State.
Good afternoon.
My name is Julissa Sanchez.
I am a community organizer and tenants rights educator with the Tenants Union.
I work predominantly with the Latinx immigrant and refugee communities.
And I want to uplift their voices today.
that this racist housing crisis that has been going on, that we have been fighting against for years, with gentrification, astronomical rent increases, and little regulations on retaliation, and has left millions evicted, homeless, and displaced in this wealthy city.
The Latinx community has been hit with high rates of COVID, high rates of housing displacement and evictions.
Language barriers leave them vulnerable to being taken advantage of by the landlords.
Sometimes landlords don't even know their immigration status, but when they claim and stand up for their rights, their housing rights, they are threatened with ICE.
The eviction moratorium has shielded many from displacement and homelessness during a worldwide pandemic.
However, it has not shielded tenants from intimidation and the loophole that was sure exploited by landlords.
It is definitely has not protected tenants from acquiring thousands of dollars of rental debt, not because they don't want to pay it, but because the pandemic that we're in today still left them without jobs.
Some of them haven't been able to return to work.
Some of your residents in this city who are essential workers who can't return to work because of their immigration status.
I want to remind you That the Latinx people work in restaurants, in hotels, in hospitality, in the service industry, which are industries that were most impacted economically by this crisis, this pandemic crisis, this economic crisis.
We are barely opening up and people are just getting on their feet to get back on to date for their rent, utilities, food, child care, gas, and all other expenses.
I am here to share with you some stories of your most marginalized communities who We're also labeled as essential and before and after the pandemic are one of the most hardworking people of this city and make this city go round.
The undocumented immigrants, English limited speakers and low income residents of the city of Seattle.
These statements were collected from the tenants union Spanish webinar hosted in February.
One tenant said, getting another job is also going to be difficult.
It's not going to be easy and it's not going to be full time.
We will not be able to resolve expenses and debts so easily as we would like.
You have to analyze more or less in what you could resolve these debts.
Expenses are increasing, food, gasoline, etc.
And those things diminish the liquidation that we have to resolve the rental debt.
Another tenant said, it is sad to hear of families that have had to unite, for example, brothers with sisters in just one room or two or three families in a single trailer or apartment, not because of the rent, but also because of the problem of food, bills, electricity, etc.
The pandemic has not only been difficult because of income, but because of food and other expenses.
I hope because of restaurants, gyms, et cetera, that are closed and where a lot of Latinos work at.
Tenant three said, I think they are going to start maybe 50% works in restaurants, but it will not be immediate.
What probability do we have that it will give us little more time for the moratorium?
We're all in the same way, excelling, surviving, but it's difficult.
And we do not know where one can get some help.
Some programs, we ask for help to pay the food, to pay the electricity, the rent, what we need most of the time.
Give us a little bit more time, they asked.
Another tenant said, there are times when we have to sacrifice some things to pay rent.
Imagine sacrificing eating and feeding your children to pay rent.
It is something very stressful.
Slowly, little by little, we have fallen behind with the rent and are not being able to work or even leave the house.
Another tenant shared, I do know people who are now owing $5,000 or $6,000 in back rent.
It is not possible.
to formulate a payment plan or payment arrangement for this pile when we are not working.
And lastly, another tenant shared, if you remove the moratorium and people are still out of work, it's going to be a worse crisis than we have now.
Even people who have jobs are not working normal hours, maybe 50, 60, 80% of the normal hours.
They don't have enough to pay the full rent.
I urge the City of Seattle to protect the most vulnerable tenants and essential workers from homelessness.
Accumulated debts are weighing them down on their mental health and livelihoods.
Before the pandemic, rental increases were one of the most main reasons why tenants became homeless.
or ended up displaced.
Now with the rent and the threats of rent increases, plus the repayment of back rent, it will be impossible for tenants to get back on their feet.
Housing is a human right.
Food is a human right.
Migrating is a human right.
Language justice is a human right.
And we must put people over profit.
Thank you.
Thank you Julissa.
Next we're going to have Adam Zinkowski who's an aide for Council Member Sawant.
Council Member Sawant is a co-sponsor of this legislation and he will be reading a statement on her behalf.
Thanks.
Hi, my name is Adam Zumkowski.
I'll try to speak very loudly.
I'm a community organizer with Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
I'm also a member of Socialist Alternative.
Councilmember Sawant sends her apologies that she is unable to be here in person, and she wanted to convey to you all her gratitude that you are all gathered here.
Our office is in solidarity with the Stay House, Stay Healthy Coalition, and Socialist Alternative is proud to be part of that coalition.
Please join us in big numbers for public comment at the Tuesday, May 25th Sustainable and Renters' Rights Committee chaired by Council Member Salwan.
We will be discussing and likely voting on legislation extremely crucial to renters.
Based on technical feedback, Council Member Salwan's office has drafted a new bill for closing the loopholes in the Just Cause eviction protections for Seattle renters.
We have sent it to the City Attorney's office for their review.
We are happy that Council Member Morales has co-sponsored the legislation with us and that we'll be bringing a unified bill for the renters movement.
We know corporate landlords have blocked the closing of the loopholes for four decades, so we will need to continue to get organized to fight to win this strong law without any loopholes.
Also at the committee, the bill for our office to ban school year evictions of children, their families, and their educators will come up for a vote.
What an indictment of capitalism that thousands of children in this region struggle for survival on a daily basis while billionaires and multi-millionaires amass unearned wealth.
Over the course of a school year, about 4,200 Seattle students experienced homelessness, one out of every 13, and disproportionately black and brown.
This shameful situation comes at a time when corporate landlords are making huge profits while working people struggle due to the double blow of the pandemic and capitalist recession.
9 out of 10 evictions result in homelessness.
That's why we must stop landlords from evicting families with school children and public school educators.
And also at Tuesday's committee, Council Member Morales will bring her legislation to extend the eviction defense for renters during the pandemic and Council Member Salwan's office is happy to have co-sponsored this bill, and we look forward to discussion.
Lastly, a resolution demanding Mayor Durkan extend the eviction moratorium through 2021 will be discussed on June 7th, and we hope that everybody here is there as well.
Thank you so much, in solidarity.
All right, next we have Ankita Adams who is chair of the Seattle Disability Commission.
She's also a renter who has faced hardship during the eviction.
Hello, my name is Ankita Adams.
I'm here not to pander you on what you should do because of minorities or BIPOCs that are dealing with all the situation with rentals rights or anything that has to do with that.
I'm here because I think that this is a human right that we should literally be able to, as a community, stand together in solidarity to help each other in this time of crisis.
Not only are we should be helping each other in this time of crisis, we have to literally fix the things that are that are broken and that is the 2-1-1 system.
Everyone knows that 2-1-1 is a joke.
Everyone knows that it does not help.
So we need to start there and trying to figure out a way to actually get help to the people who are needed, who need the help and not only that.
The second thing is equity, inclusion, diversity, like training or not even just training but like a sense of of a lens of like understanding what that mean in organizations because it starts there.
Most people are BIPOC people within their spaces are already financially like disenfranchised but when we do go into organizations we're paid less we don't have like the money that are paid to our colleagues that don't look like us so when you don't have financial stability already and when you go into organizations and and they don't give you that equity and inclusion and diversity well equity and inclusion lends to like how they treat their their employees.
It broadens the actual, I guess, sense of how we as BIPOC people are able to financially take care of each other.
And the last thing is having a space where we're not siloed.
I know that City Council is here, the mayor's office is here, and also OCR because I'm under OCR.
But I've known so many times that everyone is siloed to the point where it's more of like, okay, well, how do we get things done?
But then there's always something in between of making sure that they get things done in a manner that's not effective because of the silos that are within those spaces.
So I'm here to say, we can do better as a city when we work together.
not only work together but stay out of silos and not only stay out of silos but help out individuals not just BIPOC people but individuals with status that are working class or middle class to get them into the place where they are healthy financially so that we can actually take care of ourselves.
It's not that we don't want to work or we cannot work just like the other individuals said before.
It's the systems that are put in place that that set us apart, that we cannot move forward with our stability when it comes to our financials.
We just need a better system when it comes to working with the underrepresented within the spaces.
So I think that's all I wanna say, but I want to make it clear that we need to really figure out how do we help within those spaces of 211, of the original organizations, two, financial stability, and three, making sure that the organizations that are here, whether it's corporate, non-profit, and or government that we take care of our people.
It starts there first.
Take care of your people financially and we'll be able to take care of ourselves.
Thank you.
Good afternoon, everybody.
Thank you so much to everybody, all the members of the Stay Healthy Coalition for organizing, for coming out today, and for continuing to advocate for renters in the city.
And thanks to the press for coming today.
According to the National Equity Atlas COVID Rent Debt Study, King County renters owe an average of $4,900 in back rent.
That's the highest in Washington state.
In King County, an estimated 44,000 households face a financial hardship brought on by COVID.
That's more than double any other county in the state.
And here's what we know.
We know that over a third of Black, Latino, and Native communities are burdened with rent debt.
Native black and Latino households whose work often requires increased exposure to COVID are also disproportionately uninsured.
And that's why today what we're talking about is housing as healthcare.
A medical emergency during a pandemic is gonna significantly affect people's ability to pay for food and childcare and other bills.
And these are our essential workers that we're talking about.
The folks who have kept our city running for the last year.
We also know that following the extreme public health crisis and the subsequent closures of our workplaces that were brought on by the pandemic, we saw those numbers skyrocket.
55% of people facing a pandemic-related financial hardship are already low income.
62% are people of color.
71% are people who have lost their employment-related income in the last year.
When you couple this with the fact that in the next 30 days, we will be losing the eviction moratorium, that's gonna end, you can understand the sense of urgency to provide a defense to eviction for renters who have fallen behind on rent because of a financial hardship.
But let me be clear, the impending avalanche of evictions is more than just an issue of money.
It's a systemic issue brought on by generations of disinvestment in communities of color, and by racist housing policies that haunt us to this day.
Simply put, this is an issue of equity that has deep class and race roots.
And to solve that issue, we need to take hold of these measures.
This is why my office alongside all of these wonderful people here and other community members are bringing the Sound at Home Eviction Defense.
So what will this bill do?
The bill I'm proposing would allow tenants to assert a financial hardship as a defense any time once this is signed into law.
If you are a renter who has faced or will face financial hardship during the civil emergency, you will be protected.
If a landlord does serve an eviction notice to tenants based on non-payment of rent, they must include a statement that notifies tenants of their right to assert a defense based on non-payment caused by a financial hardship.
At that point, renters must self-certify that they are facing a hardship.
And that is as simple as attesting that you have a financial hardship.
And that can happen when a renter accesses their free legal counsel, which they now have, thanks to the city's recent right-to-counsel legislation.
I also want to emphasize that landlords have resources available as well, and I want to encourage them to access those resources before even taking the eviction route.
County Executive Constantine recently announced that King County will be offering $150 million in rental assistance to tenants and landlords.
and the city is offering over 20 million dollars in assistance with potentially millions more coming from the federal ARPA funds.
So we know that there is a way for tenants and landlords to get some of this debt covered.
So why this bill?
We know that our neighbors find themselves caught with a growing mountain of debt and a looming deadline when that debt comes due.
If we don't address the imminent avalanche of evictions now, thousands of neighbors will be losing their homes.
Seattle has had Hoovervilles in the past.
During the Great Depression, in my district especially, we saw thousands of people who were experiencing homelessness.
We are likely to see a similar large scale increase in homelessness across our city in the next couple of years.
Imagine of even half of those 44,000 people who are experiencing rent debt become homeless overnight.
That would be 22 people out on our streets as soon as the eviction moratorium ends.
That would dwarf the homelessness crisis that we're facing right now.
And so the bottom line is this, renters deserve to stay securely in their homes without the threat of losing everything.
The impending humanitarian and social justice crisis that will occur is why we must take action now so that renters who have faced a financial hardship during the pandemic don't have to face eviction too.
Thank you all for coming today.
And I'm happy to take a few questions if there are any.
Thanks, everybody.
Thank you for being here.
First question, if you clarify again, because I think one of the numbers sounds quite right.
How many people are at risk of losing their homes and sleeping on the streets of Chicago?
So right now there are over 44,000 people who are rent burdened, who are facing, you know, a financial hardship because they've lost their jobs, they've had a medical emergency.
If these folks who are already behind get evicted on June 30th, they're in serious trouble.
Could you also address Sure, and that's why as I said, there is that that assistance available.
The county is offering 150 million Seattle has offered 20 already.
And we know that as the ARPA money comes in, we will be able to contribute to that as well.
And that's why I do want to stress that there is rental assistance available.
And it goes to the landlords, but the landlords have to seek it out.
And so we need to make sure that landlords are also aware that these resources are there so that they can make sure that they are covering their debts.
Anyone else?
Okay.
Well, thank you all for coming today.
Really appreciate you being here.
Enjoy the sunshine.