For roughly two decades, the King County Bar Association has supported the Housing Justice Project to provide free legal representation to tenants facing housing instability in King County. KCBA has supported the program through administrative and financial support as well as encouraging its members to offer pro bono help to tenants. Hundreds of local attorneys have offered their time and expertise to local tenants through the program and prevented countless evictions.
KCBA’s support has created a strong and growing program. Over the last several years, the Housing Justice Project has grown substantially, including broadening the number of services it provides and expanding outside of King County. Here are a number of changes that have been implemented with KCBA’s support:
Growth in Staff
In 2018, the Housing Justice Project was staffed by four full-time employees from KCBA who were fully devoted to administration of the program. The program has grown considerably: as of April 2023, there are nearly forty full-time employees devoted to the program. Most of the new staff are attorneys implementing Washington’s Right-to-Counsel program that guarantees low-income tenants facing eviction with the right to an attorney.
Appellate Representation
A few years ago, very few housing cases were heard by the appellate courts. Now, Housing Justice Project regularly handles appeals from across Washington arising out of eviction matters. One recent notable decision from the group’s practice was Sherwood Auburn LLC v. Pinzon, which is the first appellate decision in the United States to interpret the tenant protections within the federal CARES Act. As a result, landlords receiving federal subsidies or benefiting from a federally-backed mortgage are required to provide a 30 day pay or vacate notice to tenants prior to commencing an eviction. This is an increase from the state-mandated 14 day notice to pay or vacate.
Statewide Emergency Support
As the oldest program of its type in the state, Housing Justice Project has provided support to other legal services programs across the state. One of the primary ways is by providing legal support to tenants in Washington who have already been notified by their local sheriff that an eviction is imminent. Since nearly half of all eviction cases result in a default judgment, many tenants need help filing an emergency motion to vacate a judgment and stay the eviction. Many programs do not always have capacity to handle emergency situations like this. To ensure that tenants in emergencies have support, Housing Justice Project provides support to tenants in Washington who are in need of immediate intervention.
Spokane Office
Housing Justice Project has opened an office in Spokane to provide its services there. Currently, there are two attorneys and one support staff, but the program is already hiring for more support and continues to grow.
Rental Assistance Administration
With exceptional support from KCBA and its accounting department, Housing Justice Project has helped administer nearly $20 million in rental assistance in the last couple of years. These payments go directly to landlords on behalf of tenants facing eviction and have prevented thousands of King County residents from experiencing homelessness.
Policy Advocacy
Housing Justice Project has been very active in procuring legislative changes at both the state and local level. Over the last several years, these policy changes have been the creation of a statewide right-to-counsel for low-income tenants in Washington, protections against no-cause evictions in Washington, and reforms to the eviction process.
KCBA’s support for Housing Justice Project has been critical in making it a successful program. From its members’ willingness to donate their time and expertise to helping tenants to staff personnel at KCBA assisting the program when necessary, the success of Housing Justice Project is a product of meaningful support the program has received from its members and the Association.
