Because of high demand, the Housing Justice Project cannot currently help tenants earlier in the eviction process, such as upon receipt of a 14-day notice. COVID-19 Assistance and Economic Relief Programs and services that help residents significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Seattle, tenants will continue to have some protections, including two defenses in court, if they fell behind on rent during the pandemic. As of now, the majority of these funds have been disbursed or otherwise obligated through city partners, said Stephanie Velasco, communication director for the Office of Housing. Eviction Moratorium Will Expire at the End of February by Jamie Housen on February 11, 2022 Announcing a final two-week extension of the eviction moratoria, Mayor Bruce Harrell issues directive to support vulnerable tenants and small landlords through $25 million in emergency assistance, online resources King County EPRAP has limited funding available. A key piece of the safety net for tenants like Rigdon throughout the pandemic has been hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds for emergency rent assistance. Tens of thousands of tenants have applied for rent assistance, but local officials will run out of funds before serving all of them. Tram Tran-Larson, Community Engagement Manager at Housing Justice Project (HJP) of the King County Bar Association, is worried about what this means for tenants. Before you make decisions about leaving your unit or agree to a payment plan, find information about your rights and how the eviction process works at washingtonlawhelp.org. Acceptable methods of payment are cash, check, or money order. Evictions in general disproportionately affect people of color, according to a 2019 University of Washington study which found Black people were evicted five times more often than white people in King County. BIPOC communities, people with disabilities, households with children, LGBTQIA+ communities, immigrants, those with the lowest incomes, and other marginalized groups all face serious risks of homelessness on November 1st unless eviction protections are extended.The undersigned organizations urge you to extend the eviction bridge protections until the end of the public health emergency or at least until rental assistance funds are expended. That end date has not been determined. Tens of thousands still havent been helped yet: The most recent Census Bureau Pulse Survey data (week 39) finds that there are 128,126 tenants still behind in rent.