Seattle is putting more than $19 million toward helping l0w-income households unable to pay for their housing as the coronavirus pandemic continues to leave thousands of people out of work and struggling to afford basic necessities.
Of the funds, $12 million will go toward United Way of King County's rental assistance program in 2020 and 2021, $4 million will be distributed through affordable housing providers and about $3 million will be given through the Human Services Department's Homelessness Prevention Program, the city announced.
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The city is also working to provide more support for homeowners, through mortgage counseling offered by the Washington Homeownership Resource Center's hotline and homeownership stabilization loans through HomeSight.
“There is no doubt that our residents and businesses are feeling the deep impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis. This pandemic has put people out of work, caused families to struggle to put food on the table and pay rent, and forced some of our most beloved small businesses to shutter for good,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a statement.
“Since the onset of COVID-19, the City has worked tirelessly to provide critical resources to our most impacted residents and communities of color that have been most disproportionately impacted by this crisis. In addition to our first in the nation eviction moratorium for our residents, small businesses and non-profits, the need for continued rental and mortgage assistance to keep people in their homes has never been more critical."
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Over the past several months since the start of the pandemic, thousands of people in the region have lost their jobs. Without a steady income, people have been unable to pay for their rent and housing costs, along with other basic necessities.
Earlier this year, Durkan put into place an eviction moratorium to prevent people from losing their housing because they couldn't make their rent. Durkan recently extended the moratorium through the end of the year. City, state and federal officials have also been working over the past several months to provide direct assistance to people who have been impacted by the spread of the virus — but it hasn't been nearly enough to meet the massive need.
“With an ongoing pandemic requiring us all to stay home to stay healthy, a deep economic recession disproportionately impacting BIPOC communities and low-wage workers and their families, and now-yearly episodes of toxic air pollution caused by climate wildfires making it unsafe to go outdoors in Seattle — it is more important than ever to help people stay in their homes,” Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda said in a statement.
"This infusion of funding for rent and mortgage assistance, made available through COVID relief legislation, will help thousands of households stave off eviction and foreclosure. These investments in immediate housing stability, paired with unprecedented long-term investments in deeply affordable, green housing through JumpStart progressive revenue, will shore up our community’s resilience to weather these crises and ensure a just and equitable recovery.”
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United Way of King County's rental assistance program was quickly overwhelmed with applications when it opened earlier this year to help people impacted by the pandemic. Within just days, it received thousands more applications than it had the funds to serve, and had to temporarily stop accepting new applications.
The additional funds will help to provide more rental assistance to the thousands of households still in need.
“The pandemic’s economic effects are still disproportionately impacting communities of color, and thousands of our neighbors are still unemployed and can’t pay their rent,” said Gordon McHenry, Jr., president and CEO of United Way of King County. “We are grateful for Seattle’s efforts to secure these additional funds, which will help families stay in their homes and avoid accumulating more debt.”
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