(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Eviction is a crisis that sends waves through the community — and those waves are rising fast in Washington state, where eviction filings have surged 50% above pandemic levels.
After eviction, tenants can end up homeless. It’s a hardship shared by many as landlords refuse to rent to those with an eviction on their record. Families couch surf, crowd into motels, sleep in cars, temporary shelters, or on the streets.
Now, the state Legislature will decide to fully fund the Eviction Prevention Program or enact a $3 million cut that would deny 2,000 renters legal representation in court.
This decision — tucked into Gov. Bob Ferguson’s supplemental budget proposal — demands our attention.
As leaders of two legal service organizations, Northwest Justice Project and Sound Legal Aid, we know what’s at stake. When tenants have to go to court alone, they almost always lose, and research shows eviction more than triples the risk of homelessness.
Here is the cruel irony: this cut wouldn’t save Washington money.
When people lose their homes, costs rise for emergency rooms, shelters, foster care systems, and lost wages. In reality, this “budget cut” would cost the state more money while eroding access to justice and undermining a program that keeps people housed.
A record of keeping people housed
In 2021, Washington state became a national leader by establishing a right to an attorney for low-income tenants facing eviction.
Since then, the state-funded Eviction Prevention Program has served more than 33,500 tenants — leading to permanent housing solutions in 90% of closed cases. And, because of this program, we are serving more people of color and more people living with disabilities who have experienced discrimination.
But without legislative action, on July 1, 2026, funding for the Program will run short by $3 million, leading to a critical loss of legal expertise even as the number of eviction filings climbs.
This rise in evictions — including many that are illegal — is alarming.
Our attorneys increasingly see tenants turned out on the street when landlords change locks without warning — no court order, no legal process. We see retaliatory evictions when tenants report dangerous conditions, such as electrical problems or mold, and landlords who illegally refuse to accept rental assistance and then evict tenants for failure to pay rent.
Some landlords pull the same illegal stunts on tenant after tenant. They know that many tenants, even when they know their rights, rarely fight and often struggle to be heard without a lawyer.
In courtrooms everywhere, the difference between keeping and losing a home has long depended not on the law or the facts, but on whether someone can afford an attorney.
Free legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction represents progress toward America’s promise of justice for all. Backing away from that promise now would further erode trust in our justice system, trust that is often shaky at best.
Indeed, as evictions soar and homelessness grows, the demand for legal aid lawyers is growing. While not every eviction can be avoided, the program ensures all available resources—from veteran housing benefits to emergency rental assistance—are exhausted before anyone loses their home.
Washington’s program also protects small landlords. Evictions are increasingly filed by corporate housing owners and multimillion-dollar management companies. But thousands of small landlords follow the law and rely on stable rental income. When unfair evictions go unchallenged, it destabilizes the communities that responsible landlords depend on.
Legal representation costs about $1,663 per case — a fraction of the follow-on costs of eviction: failing physical and mental health, emergency room visits, shelter beds, heightened family conflict and violence, disrupted education, and lost wages. Washington’s budget would ultimately bear these costs — just in different line items.
Our state legislators face difficult budget choices. This one will determine whether thousands of low-income tenants have access to justice — or must face eviction alone, unheard, and almost certain to lose.
This post was originally authored and published by Abigail Daquiz, Sandra Miller from Washington State Standard via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
