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For Tenants and Landlords
COVID-Related Rental Assistance
There is currently a moratorium on evictions in Washington State until September 30th, 2021, per a Proclamation by Governor Inslee. Additionally, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a moratorium in evictions through September 30th, 2021. This means that, except under very limited circumstances, tenants cannot be evicted from their housing due to inability to pay rent through September 30th, 2021. However, this does not mean that rent is not owed. Tenants are still required to pay rent and follow all other terms of their lease.
For more information on Washington's moratorium on evictions, please see additional materials here.
To file a complaint regarding an illegal eviction during the moratorium, please visit the Washington State Office of the Attorney General's form here.
Yakima County has secured $28 million dollars to go towards rental assistance programs for our community. These funds will help stabilize tenant households who have struggled throughout the pandemic, and provide restitution to landlords of qualifying tenants who have not received rental payments. Qualifying tenants may receive assistance with up to 12 months of rental payments, to be paid directly to their landlords.
$2.5 million has already been distributed during Yakima County's first round of rental assistance. which ran from September 2020 through January 2021. The second round of rental assistance will run through December 2021, or until funds are fully spent, whichever comes first.
Who is Eligible for Rental Assistance?
If the annual income of your household is under 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), you have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19, and you are at-risk for housing instability, you may be eligible for rental assistance. See table below for qualifying income limits based on household size:
Number of Persons in Family | ||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
Annual Household Income | $39,550 | $45,200 | $50,850 | $56,500 | $61,050 | $65,550 | $70,100 | $74,600 |
According to Federal Guidance, assistance received through this program should not count as a benefit for the purpose of determining whether someone is considered a public charge.
How to Apply
Why Lottery?
The lottery system allows us to aggregate rental assistance applications from across all participating agencies, and prevent duplication of services. Because funds are distributed on a rolling basis, the lottery rewards early applicants with more opportunities to be selected, while allowing for applicants who may have applied late due to less access to information or resources to still have an opportunity to get funds.
Participating Agencies
All agencies can serve any qualifying resident of Yakima County.
Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic Northwest Community Action Center
(509) 865-7630 Ext 2716 |
Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
(509) 249-6232 | (509) 515-0576 |
Catholic Charities
(509) 965-7100 |
OIC of Washington
(509) 452-7145 |
Northwest Communities Education Center/Radio KDNA
(509) 854-2222 |
Flyer
Other Resources
If you are a landlord whose tenant does not qualify for these rental assistance programs, please look here to find information about Landlord Fund Programs provided through the Washington State Department of Commerce.
For eviction resolution support, contact the Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas Counties at ERP@drcyakima.org or (509) 388-0366. Both landlords and tenants are welcome to seek support through their services.
If you are living in Washington State outside of Yakima County, please look here to find rental assistance providers serving your community.
Updated May 18, 2021