Successful Local Eviction Prevention Pilot Program Ended June 30th
Whatcom County – Washington State’s Eviction Resolution Pilot Program (ERPP) ended by state statute on June 30th, 2023.
The highly successful program created a mandatory pause point before eviction in order to link tenants and landlords to dispute resolution services, rental assistance, and civil legal aid. With the help of professionally trained, impartial case managers and mediators, the ERPP brought tenants and landlords together to help them resolve conflicts regarding rent owed.
During the 21-months of the program, the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center opened over 2,400 unique cases and directly served over 3,770 clients (additionally, nearly 1,000 individuals & children indirectly). In all, 95% of cases reached resolution, when tenants chose to engage in services, and 55% received rental assistance -- totaling more than $6,517,600.00 in funding to keep families and individuals in their homes. Remarkably, aside from a few dozen cases closed prematurely due to the state’s mandated program close, 90% of all Whatcom County ERPP cases handled by the WDRC were resolved without eviction, and did NOT end up proceeding to court – a huge success in terms of keeping people housed, helping property managers and landlords stay afloat, and reducing the load on an already overburdened court system.
While the State-mandated ERPP program has come to a close, Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center continues to offer free mediation services on a voluntary basis to resolve many types of housing issues outside of court. Community members are encouraged to reach out to the WDRC to learn more about our Housing Stability Services as an alternative to litigation, and before disputes escalate.
Landlords, tenants, roommates, and neighbors may use our free Housing Stability services to: resolve disputes, improve communication, increase understanding, or specifically to: address overdue rent, successfully negotiate payment or repayment plans, discuss deposits and move out timelines, access legal resources and limited rental assistance, address lease agreements, develop agreements for shared housing/cohabitating, resolve neighborhood issues, and more! When participating by choice, people can choose the outcomes that work for them, as professionally trained mediators support all participants to work together to brainstorm ideas and evaluate options. Visit www.whatcomdrc.org/housingstability to learn more, as well as access a host of resources provided by our nonprofit partners. Services are funded in part by the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the State of Washington.
With homelessness affecting a rapidly growing number of people in Whatcom County, WDRC is committed to continuing our efforts to resolve conflicts which may lead to eviction, which is one of many factors that lead to housing insecurity. According to Chris D’Onofrio, housing program supervisor at Whatcom County Health and Community Services: “People are becoming homeless faster than we can get them back into housing. We’re working hard to prevent and resolve homelessness for many households, but these growing numbers show the gap between what we’re able to do and where we need to be in terms of services and affordable units”. WDRC's mediators are eager to help community members facing housing instability find creative and workable solutions to disputes that improve communication and help parties move forward constructively.
“Your program saved a lot of my tenants from being homeless. I would have lost so many of my people. The financial hardship caused a lot of stress for the tenants. Adults were stressed, kids were stressed, it went all down the line. For most people, the assistance gave them some more time until they got their next job, or just enough time to get caught up. Your program helped a lot of people who have never even been in that situation before. I had a lot of people in my office saying, "What do I do? This has never happened to me before. I just lost my job of 20 years." They would have had to start over again. I just want to say thank you for everything that you did to help my people.” – ERPP Landlord
About the ERPP
The ERPP was established by the state legislature as a two-year mandatory pilot operating statewide from November 1, 2021, to June 30, 2023. With the end of the pilot program, landlords are no longer required to provide tenants with an ERPP Notice and no longer required to give tenants the option to participate in the ERPP before the landlord can file an unlawful detainer (eviction) case in court for unpaid rent.
The ERPP focused on stabilizing housing as the statewide and county eviction moratoriums expired during the pandemic public health emergency. The Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center offered free dispute resolution services to tenants and landlords to support them in looking for an agreement or resolution outside of court based on their own financial, legal, and personal needs. That process included helping them access rental assistance and legal aid, developing repayment plans, creating move out plans, and mediating conflicts and misunderstandings.
For more information on the end of the ERPP, including information for tenants and landlords on resources and statewide impact, visit our ERPP website or Resolution Washington’s website.
Landlords and tenants may find helpful information concerning residential evictions for nonpayment of rent on the Washington State Courts’ ERPP website, the Washington Attorney General’s Landlord-Tenant website, Washington Law Help, and the Whatcom County Superior Court website.
###
The WDRC is a non-profit dedicated to providing and promoting constructive and collaborative approaches to conflict. More information can be found at www.whatcomdrc.org or by calling (360) 676-0122.