Right now at City Council, we're discussing the Sound at Home eviction defense bill from my office. I want to say thank you to the #StayHousedStayHealthy coalition for crafting this policy with my office. They represent renters, advocates, and even non-profit landlords.
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The Sound at Home defense legislation is crucial in protecting renters from facing eviction following the end of the eviction moratorium if they've fallen behind on rent due to pandemic-related hardship.
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According to the National Equity Atlas, King County renters owe an average of $4,750 in back rent. Approximately 39,000 King Co. renters owe $186 million in pandemic-related back rent. Two-thirds of renters behind right now are BIPOC, low income, & lost their jobs during COVID.
Thousands of our neighbors find themselves caught with a growing mountain of debt & a looming deadline when that debt comes due. If you are a renter who has faced or will face financial hardship during the civil emergency, you will now be protected from eviction.
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If we don't do something to protect vulnerable renters now, we will faced Depression-era levels of homelessness. Our system is already overburdened & underfunded. If even a 1/4 of renters who currently owe rent debt fall into homelessness our entire system could collapse.
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Thank you to my colleagues for supporting and passing our Sound at Home defense - the first piece of our Tenants' Bill of Rights, which will keep tens of thousands of Seattleites safe from eviction after the moratorium ends.
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