CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to termination of residential rental tenancies; prohibiting evictions in winter months; 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
WHEREAS, on November 3, 2015, the City Council adopted Resolution 31630, ratifying and confirming the 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, the Losing Home report found that most evicted respondents became homeless, with 37.5 percent completely unsheltered, 25.0 percent living in a shelter or transitional housing, and 25.0 percent staying with family or friends. Only 12.5 percent of evicted respondents found another apartment or home to move into; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, the King County Medical Examiner's Office (KCMEO) investigated the deaths of 194 individuals presumed to be homeless. This represents 25 more deaths than investigated in 2017; and
WHEREAS, people experiencing homelessness have a much higher risk than the general population of developing exposure-related conditions. The KCMEO 2018 investigation found that over half (n=107) of presumed homeless deaths investigated occurred outside and that approximately 62 percent (n=121) of presumed homeless deaths investigate were attributed to non-natural causes (drug overdose, accidents (that includes hypothermia), suicide, homicide, and undetermined); and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature has declared a state policy to help residents ...
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