State data show more tenants expect eviction in the coming months even as the state struggles to disburse rental assistance funds.
According to data "provided during a Sept. 8 update to the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council," one quarter of renters in Washington State fear eviction in the next two months, reports Aaron Kunkler.
"Sen. Lynda Wilson said during the meeting that the state had only disbursed 11% of the rental assistance funding it had available," suggesting that some renters are "either unaware of that assistance, or they don’t believe they’re going to get it." This follows a nationwide trend: as of June, "only 12% of the $25 billion in federal funds sent to states had been distributed."
Meanwhile, Washington employment has been slow to recover, particularly in the food service and hospitality industries hit hardest by the pandemic. "The recovery isn’t just uneven on an industry level, but county by county too, as pointed out by DJ Wilson here. In several coastal and eastern Washington counties, nearly one in five Washingtonians need either SNAP or FAP food assistance, according to the Department of Commerce."
"At the same time, home prices both in Seattle and across the U.S. continue to skyrocket. Home prices in June grew 25% year-over-year in Seattle, well outpacing the roughly 18% seen nationwide."
FULL STORY: One-quarter of Washington renters expect to be evicted
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