Seattle residents and service providers urge council to restore tenant services, boost rental-assistance reserve
Loading...
Summary
Dozens of residents and nonprofit leaders at the Select Budget Committee public hearing urged the council to restore tenant legal and prevention services to 2024 levels and to protect $4 million in tenant-based rental assistance while increasing the reserve to backfill potential federal funding cuts.
Dozens of speakers told the Select Budget Committee on Nov. 8 that restoring tenant services and preserving rental-assistance funding are essential to prevent evictions and reduce homelessness.
Residents, tenant advocates and legal-service providers described rising eviction filings and gaps in legal help that they said leave renters without practical defenses. "Tenant services could have helped that person stay housed," renter and minimum-wage worker Fiona Shea said, urging full reinstatement of tenant services funding. Tenant-law attorney Casey Burton told the committee that rental assistance is important but cannot replace legal representation: "Rental assistance isn't going to ensure you get repairs. Rental assistance isn't going to negotiate an agreement with your landlord to preserve your tenancy," Burton said.
Advocates asked the council to add at least $500,000 to the chair’s balancing package to bring tenant services back to 2024 staffing and service levels and to maintain $4,000,000 proposed for tenant-based rental assistance. Speakers said tenant services include legal representation, intake staff, and prevention work that reduces court filings and costly displacement. Cecilia Black of B Seattle described how cuts left her organization with a single full-time employee and said people with disabilities rely on tailored "know your rights" workshops to avoid eviction.
Multiple human-service coalitions and housing providers asked the council to also increase the mayor's proposed reserve for federal funding cuts so local programs that depend on federal grants can continue operating if state or federal support is reduced. "We need both rental assistance and tenant services," said Alan Francis, a renter and service recipient, who asked the council to add funding to the balancing package to avoid increased evictions.
The public hearing recorded no formal council action; the committee reminded speakers the amendment deadline was the next day and that votes would be scheduled at a later meeting. Advocates asked that any final budget preserve the requested amounts and prioritize legal help and tenant-stabilization programs to prevent homelessness.
