Pierce County starts free eviction resolution program before COVID-19 moratorium ends
Pierce County Superior Court has started an eviction resolution program before moratoriums in response to the COVID-19 pandemic end.
“Currently there are both federal and state mandates suspending evictions based on the non-payment of rent,” the court said in a news release Thursday. “Once those mandates end, Pierce County expects a large number of eviction cases to be filed in Superior Court.”
Gov. Jay Inslee’s eviction moratorium and the federal eviction moratorium are both set to expire Dec. 31.
The free resolution program “will require parties to engage in problem-solving steps before the cases come to court,” the news release said.
Landlords and tenants in the program work with eviction resolution specialists to find options such as payment plans and rental assistance.
A state Superior Court Judges’ Association work group and the Office of Civil Legal Aid created the pilot program with CARES Act funding. Pierce, Clark, King, Snohomish, Spokane and Thurston counties started it last month.
“The COVID-19 emergency has affected all of us,” Brett Waller, Governmental Affairs Director for the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association, said in a statement at the time. “Eviction is always a last resort and often the result of a long chain of events outside the control of renters or housing providers.
“While landlords recognize the importance of finding solutions to cases where people have fallen behind in their rent through no fault of their own, they also must pay their mortgages, taxes and utilities. By connecting landlords and tenants with skilled facilitators, the Eviction Resolution Program should help both tenants and landlords, and hopefully prevent unnecessary evictions for nonpayment of rent.”
For more information about the Pierce County program, visit tacomaprobono.org/hjp.html.
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 12:32 PM.
