Eviction Team Report Out

• James - Most years I go to Brazil to see my wife’s family – they all speak Portuguese, so I take books to read. I took Evicted ( https://www.powells.com/book/-9780553447453 ), and was hidden under blankets and umbrellas reading the book, and got pumped about addressing evictions.  When I returned, I connected with Greta, and she was fully knowledge and versed in evictions..
• We were asked by the City of Tacoma to use an existing grant to rehouse Tiki apartment tenants. This opened up a whole new program to engage evictions.  (Tiki is the first man – like Adam from Genesis – in the Maori Tradition. It is one of those words that always has a bit of an uncomfortable aspect to it – some element of arrogant cultural appropriation that we should probably pull out of circulation. But I have some Tiki torches on my deck, and I rather like them. Hypocrisy is one of my core skill sets. –ed)
• When the Tiki apartments happened, we refocused on supporting the Tiki apartments.
  • There was lots of community engagement happening around the Tiki apartments
  • The apartments had lots of black mold and history of sex trafficking in the families.
  • After the evictions were announced, we had a lot of things happening at the site – lots of fires were lit on the property – lots of resentment and anger
  • A lot of folks weren’t out by the deadline – folks were living in poverty. Despite our assistance, many were still at the Tiki apartments.
  • Some bad things were happening - the contractors started doing asbestos abatement while there were still residents living there (asbestos is one of those things that makes me question a benevolent creator. Sort of like how the best farm land is always in a flood plain.  Whoever set that reality up is a little guilty of entrapment.  Asbestos is similar.  It is a soft and fluffy material that is fire resistant, insulates incredibly well – both heat and electricity - and resists corrosion.  And it is a naturally occurring mineral. Humans have been using it for 4,500 years.  What is there not to like?  It is a miracle material.  But, breath in the fibers, and it is with you forever.  And gives you cancer.  Mesothelioma is a cancer caused only by asbestos.  There are lots of other bad health outcomes associated with asbestos. Of course, we’ve known about the bad health effects for some 2,000 years, and yet it remains legal to use and can be found in dozens of modern products, so, at this point, the blame is really on us.  –ed.)                 
  • Most folks were at or around $770 per month income
  • We had success in asking property owners to match some financial commitment. We did get some financial support from the owner who purchased the property.  He initially wanted to remodel and raise the rents – eventually he built them as subsidized.  $600 or $900 was made available per unit – although you had to wait to have it until you gave the keys back, so it was a bit tough to use. 
  • There was a lot of media attention – newspaper and on TV – and the conditions these folks lived in. A GoFundMe account was created – Associated Ministries agreed to oversee the funds.  It was used to help benefit the tenants.  We used it for folks who needed things like medical equipment. 
  • The Tiki apartments did start a conversation about evictions, which was one positive thing that came from it.
  • The Tacoma Housing Authority opened a waitlist, giving priority to the past Tiki apartment residents. Eventually 5 were returned post-remodel to the Tiki apartments. 
  • A lot happened because of the change the property owner decided to do. Education is part of what we do. 
  • For one residents, they were evicted but work was done so the eviction did not go on record - Tacoma pro bono helped a good deal to make that happen
  • The Tiki apartment mass eviction was a catalyst to change the tenant rental code
  • There was a 95% success rate – 21 housed of the 22 we interacted with. It was a mix of case management and supportive services. 
  • There is no formal support for people facing eviction or homelessness. Doing this work is tough, because there is not a system in place.
  • Troubling dispersal rate of people of color out of the city.
• Merkel Hotel on Pacific
  • We didn’t realize how “good we had it a Tiki”. We had an engaged on-site manager at the Tiki. 
  • No manager at the Merkle.
  • The conditions people were living in was terrible. Much higher percentage of people of color, and less media engagement, community ownership, or support
  • Worse success rate - 9 out of 12 were able to be housed – and we are still working with some of these folks
  • In the not too distant past, some 50% of people in cities were living in residential motels – they can be very affordable - $395 per month. These are not things we no longer have. (I think I might have gotten my facts wrong on this one, but that is what I wrote down – ed.)
  • Dean – a percussionist, remembers a different time at the Merkel, a community of folks struggling that came together and formed a community. It was sad to see this shatter and these people leave
  • When we were wrapping up, we ran into a situation where the management company misunderstood our engagement as a waiving of tenant rights – that the owner didn’t need to give due notice. There is a lot of education that needs to go into this.  At the Tiki, we had an engaged property manager that wanted good things.  We learned that we need to get involved with the property management.
• Morgan motel – Residential motel
  • There is the tremendous advocacy that came from the Tiki – we had some policy changes we wanted.
  • With the Morgan motel, they had established tenancy, and the business owner then lost their business license.
  • Because of our Tiki experience, we were tapped to do this work.
  • We weren’t able to go in and establish who all was and wasn’t a tenant.
  • One person was paying $2,400 per month to live there. No program was there to support him.  He is paying a whole lot of money to live in a place where they are approximating assisted living. Some funding pays for some clean up.  This person has been struggling for some 20 years. 
  • We find folks that exist in shadow places where they cannot get services.
  • There is no system in place to protect someone like this. We did take one person to a psychiatric facility, where they still are. Often, there is no thing we can do to better serve them. 
• Resident Action Project – a good group
  • Helps put a story into a one pager and sends the client to advocate.
• This last year –
  • responded to 3 different situations.
  • A slumlord rents places as a tenant, and then sublets out to large number of people. We are trying to figure out how to help the folks who are living at one site.  The owner is terminating the relationship with the slumlord.  Trying to figure out if we can get support to serve these folks, who are paying rent, but may not be on the lease.  We are meeting with these folks, count sites and number of people, and work to relocate them.  Landlord is working well with us – on the right side of things.
  • 6 houses, with 8 people per house.
  • We have good trust from the residents.
  • We are asking for any feedback on how to engage this new problem with these homes with way too many people. One home allows sex offenders and those with critical felonies.  These folks have significant barriers to finding new places to live.
  • James – when Tiki hit a year ago – lots of energy – the Mayor, unions, lots of folks supporting it. Lots of media coverage.  Recent projects are the polar opposite – no funding and no energy. 
  • James – sense the ordinance “solved” the eviction problem. Only a few folks have benefited from this.  We still have so many folks who need assistance
  • We need deeper engagement on this issue – come and see us.
  • Two policy pushes –
    • Just cause eviction support
    • Communicating with the City about eviction support and times that would be useful
  • Joy – do you have folks that are vets? Greta – yes, in the Morgan.  Nathan –but he makes a lot.  Joy – we can work with that.  We were working with Brendan at the VA as well. 
  • Marybeth – mitigation fund – can you talk about that. Matthew – for the tenant relocation assistance program – for building being demolished, substantially rehabilitated, or a change in use, in the City of Tacoma, and the tenant earns under 50% Area Median Income, the landlord would give the packet and the 120 day notice, and they would apply to the city for the funds - $1k form landlord and $1k from the city.  If you qualify for food stamps or Medicaid, you are in the program.   Maureen – the state has a fund as well.
  • Maureen – things are changing so fast, how do we keep everyone informed about the changes. New changes go into  effect on July 20^th.  From the tenant side, there are big changes.  There is no equivalent of a ChiQuata Elder to call for information in the County - outside of Tacoma.  There is no vehicle to capture the Morgan or these 6 homes that are coming up to get them off the market to secure them into the future.  Greta – we need to do a major education campaign – so tenant, landlords, management – all need to know new rules. 
  • Finding gaps – how those in Pierce County don’t have any assistance
  • James – The Coalition is not doing much – it is pretty much just these two case managers. If you want to support this work and want to get involved, as we look when subcommittees meet, join in.  We also want some money.   
  • Evangeline – what about those who have skills that no one is working with – there is a lot of people able to work.
  • James – people facing eviction have a minimal support structure.