Members of the Seattle Renters' Commission Members of the Seattle Renters’ Commission have issued a statement urging the City of Seattle to pause all evictions of renters immediately and to continue a moratorium on evictions through the end of winter. They also urge the City to immediately open all emergency winter shelters for neighbors already living outside.
Excerpts from letter:
“Passing such a moratorium will keep neighbors from being displaced to the streets during the months with the harshest weather and poorest living conditions for neighbors living unsheltered.”
“During winter in Seattle, temperatures regularly fall into the 30’s overnight and, according to All Home King County’s Count Us In report for 2019, forty-one percent of homeless neighbors sleep outside every night with an additional nineteen percent sleeping in vehicles.”
“In Seattle, we also already have a history of setting limits on evictions in specific circumstances. If a building is in substandard condition or if a property is not registered through RRIO, a landlord is limited from evicting a tenant. Setting limits to curb homelessness and loss of life during winter months should be a no-brainer and would fall in line with procedures that the City already has in place.”
Read the full statement from the Seattle Renter’s Commission on our website under “Statements from the Commission.”
The Seattle Renters’ Commission (SRC) provides information, advice, and counsel to the Mayor, Seattle City Council, and departments concerning issues and policies affecting renters. Learn more at seattle.gov/neighborhoods/seattle-renters-commission. The SRC is staffed by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.
