When people are living in dangerous or unsanitary dwelling places, sometimes the city government has no other choice but to close the house or apartment building. This has happened too many times in the past few years, as the city moves people from their rental units through enforcement of fire codes or dangerous building codes.
Often times the tenants are poor, elderly or have a physical or mental handicap. For some, finding another place to live on such short notice causes a considerable hardship.
In some instances these people receive vouchers that can be redeemed for rooms in local motels. Generally these are paid for with federal government money that is distributed through the city to non-profit agencies.
The city is hoping to adjust how these situations are handled so that displaced people can be sent somewhere that will not cost as much as a motel. This could be homeless shelters.
Since April 1, four out of the seven landlords in Tacoma who have had their tenants displaced because of unsafe conditions have agreed to either relocate the tenants to other properties they own or to pay for relocation costs. Three of these landlords have paid their obligation in full. The fourth has made partial payment.
City staff finds that many landlords are unaware of their obligations under state law in such instances.
Three city departments – Human Rights and Human Services (HRHS), Building and Land Use Services and Legal – are developing a new landlord education and notice process to address this. The new document is expected to be ready by the end of June. In conjunction with this, staff with HRHS is educating landlords about their obligations under the Washington State Landlord Tenant Act.
Another stumbling block for displaced tenants is where to keep their belongings, which often are locked up in a home they can no longer live in. Sometimes landlords inform the city they will pay the relocation fees once the tenant gets their belongings out, but the person has no place to move them while they search for a new place to live. One thing city staff is doing in discussions with South Sound Outreach Services, the agency contracted to provide relocation assistance, is storage of personal items on a short-term basis.
Other proposed changes include money, up to $35, for each displaced household for gasoline or bus fare, and assistance in obtaining a state identification card for tenants who do not possess one, which is another obstacle to renting a new apartment.
Ensuring all Tacomans have safe, affordable housing is a complex issue and no simple solutions are on the horizon. But putting landlords on notice that renting out hazardous dwelling spaces to vulnerable people is not acceptable makes a strong statement.
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