CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to termination of residential rental tenancies; providing a defense to certain evictions of children, their families, and educators during the school year; and amending Section 22.206.160 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, on November 2, 2015, the Mayor issued a Civil Emergency to address the homelessness crisis in the City of Seattle, and on November 3, 2015, the City Council adopted Resolution 31630, ratifying and confirming that Mayoral Proclamation of Civil Emergency; and
WHEREAS, in September 2018, the Seattle Women's Commission and the King County Bar Association jointly published Losing Home: The Human Cost of Eviction in Seattle, finding that households who are evicted face material hardships that make it more difficult to secure safe and affordable housing and that the most disadvantaged groups face the highest likelihood of eviction; and
WHEREAS, Losing Home found that most evicted respondents became homeless, with 37.5 percent completely unsheltered, 25.0 percent living in a shelter or transitional housing, 25.0 percent staying with family or friends, and only 12.5 percent finding another apartment or home to move into; and
WHEREAS, Losing Home further found that, "of evicted respondents with school-age children, 85.7% said their children had to move schools after the eviction, and 87.5% reported their children's school performance suffered 'very much' because of the eviction"; and
WHEREAS, Losing Home cites academic research showing that, "the eviction of children and adolescents has serious and longstanding effects on their development and overall well-being, including poor academic performance, delayed literacy skills, an up-tick in dropout rates, and violent behavior"; and
WHEREAS, Losing Home further found that "eviction pushed low-income tenants out of Seattle: 43.5% of evicted respondents had to leave the city as a result"; and
WHE...
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