LOSING HOME - Seattle

LOSING HOME

The Human Cost of Eviction in Seattle

A Report by the Seattle Women's Commission and the Housing Justice Project of the King County Bar Association.

Losing Home: The Human Cost of Eviction in Seattle

Lead Authors (in alphabetical order) Tara Cookson, PhD, Margaret Diddams, PhD, Xochitl Maykovich, Edmund Witter

Contributors The following individuals provided immense support with data collection, editing, and research: Nicole Backman, Elliott Barronian, Elizabeth Bumpous, Sean Dwyer, Darya Farivar, Ernesto Garcia, Harry Higgins, Rhonda Hodge, Catie Holcroft, Peter Houck, Elisabeth Lindsley, Jesse Offenhartz, Arlen Olson, Min Pease, Veronica Restrepo, CJ Robinson, Priya Saxena, Youseff Shalaby, Vallen Solomon, Zoe True, Kelli Voellger, Jamilah Williams

Thank you to Dr. David McLanahan for offering insight into the King County Medical Examiner records and to Jessica Juarez-Scruggs for advice on discussing suicide.

Thank you to Loren Othon for their continued advice and guidance throughout the making of this report.

About the Seattle Women's Commission The Seattle Women's Commission advises the Mayor, City Council and city departments on issues that impact the women of Seattle. The Commission identifies areas of concern and recommends policy and legislation, provides feedback and opinion on issues of city and state budget, and acts as a liaison between the women of Seattle and City government.

About the Housing Justice Project The Housing Justice Project (HJP) is a homelessness prevention program of the King County Bar Association provviding accessible volunteer-based legal services for low-income tenants facing eviction in King County.

September 2018

ii

"That would be harassment."

? A landlord's attorney in New York City when asked how often he has evicted a tenant for a month or less in outstanding rent.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION: OVERVIEW OF EVICTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES................................................................5 OVERVIEW OF LANDLORD-TENANT LAW IN WASHINGTON.................... 9 RESEARCH METHODS..................................................................................... 15 ANALYSIS OF SEATTLE EVICTIONS.............................................................. 20

Who gets evicted in Seattle?................................................................ 20 Where are tenants evicted from in Seattle?.................................... 29 Why are tenants evicted in Seattle?...................................................37 What factors lead to tenants facing eviction?................................. 46 What are the outcomes of eviction cases in Seattle?.................... 55 How does eviction impact tenants?................................................... 59 WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF LEGAL COUNSEL?............................................... 64 CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS.................................. 76

iv

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

"It has been stressful and scary. You don't have any sort of grounding or sense of home. I'm literally carrying my bags around. I feel like a nomad."

? Tenant Interview, 6 Months after December 2017 Eviction

EVICTION PROCEEDINGS, also known as "unlawful detainers," are scheduled every day in the King County Superior Court, and while this eviction machine is unseen by the majority of the city, the results reverberate far outside the courthouse. While a month of unpaid rent might be an inconvenience for a landlord, an eviction can mean life or death for a tenant. National research shows eviction is one of the leading causes of homelessness. Despite these serious societal consequences of systemic evictions, a deep analysis of eviction causes, process, and outcomes has never before been carried out in Seattle. Because the city is experiencing an unprecedented housing crisis, and we knew anecdotally that this crisis disproportionately impacts marginalized communities such as women, people of color, and people in poverty, the Seattle Women's Commission (SWC) and the King County Housing Justice Project (HJP) decided to undertake research to fill this gap.

This research investigates how current policies and the practices of courts, landlords, attorneys, and other private actors facilitate the mass eviction of low-income tenants in Seattle. It assesses eviction factors like the amount of unpaid rent that trigger evictions, how much debt tenants accumulate as a result of eviction rulings, how evictions affect

Losing Home: The Human Cost of Eviction in Seattle

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY|1

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download