Thurston County renters left in limbo waiting for resumed rent assistance
Thurston County’s new rent assistance provider started processing a large backlog of applicants on March 30, but many renters will likely remain in limbo for weeks more.
LiveStories replaced the Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties as the provider for rental assistance payments in March. The move came a dozen days after the county abruptly suspended its contracts with the CAC, citing suspected fraud.
With the start of the new program, applicants left in limbo by the sudden suspension of the CAC can expect to be contacted via email or phone to complete their applications, a Thurston County news release says. However, LiveStories is prioritizing applicants most in need, it says.
The county has received more than 1,000 client files from the CAC, county senior program manager Tom Webster said during a Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
Webster said it will take LiveStories several weeks to process all those files.
“I know that patience is wearing thin, but we are moving as quickly as possible to serve those applicants and get them rental assistance as quickly as possible,” Webster said.
In an April 1 update, the county acknowledged the delays and thanked renters and landlords for their “patience, flexibility and understanding.”
“We know this has been incredibly stressful and scary for so many of you,” the update says. “We are deeply sorry for the additional stress this transition has caused.”
Renters’ woes
William Dankiw, 59, told The Olympian he had previously been approved by the CAC for rental assistance, but he never received his payments. Instead, he has relied on loans totaling about $1,400 from friends and family.
“I think people are in desperate need and I consider myself one of those,” he said. “I can’t keep borrowing money.”
Dankiw, a resident of Biscay Acres Apartments in northwest Thurston County, said his rent went up from $850 a month to $1,490 after his lease expired in November. He said he thinks the county didn’t fully consider the impact of suddenly pausing payments.
“The tenant might have patience, but the landlord might not,” he said.
Linda Marie Watt, 78, also successfully applied for rent assistance through the CAC. But due to the suspension, she said she has been served a 14-day eviction notice.
Watt, a neighbor to Dankiw, called the suspension a “terrible decision.” She said she wishes the county had responded differently to the suspected fraud.
“They need to deal with (fraud) absolutely, but I find it hard to believe that the only way they could deal with it is to suspend the whole program and leave hundreds of people in this situation,” Watt said.
For now, Watt has contacted the Dispute Resolution Center for help. Her rent has gone up from $850 a month to $1,550 over the last two years, she said.
Watt said she doesn’t know where she will go if she gets evicted from her home of 14 years.
Landlords also struggling
Landlords also have been affected by the pause in rental assistance payments, said Todd Monohon, owner of Olympic Rental and Landlord Services.
“Housing providers take a huge risk and they’re being asked to take even more risk by kind of trusting to wait for the process,” Monohon said. “And they’re not even sure the person applying for it will qualify. Tenants are being asked to do the same thing. That’s difficult.”
Monohon’s business mostly manages small single-family homes and duplexes. Though few of the properties he manages have been affected by the pause, he said owners who have been affected have been struggling with uncertainty.
“The most important thing is that the program is back up and running,” Monohon said. “And the people who honestly qualify for the assistance get it as soon as possible. It’s affecting people’s livelihood, places to live and ownership of property.”
Who will be prioritized?
LiveStories is prioritizing several groups, including clients of the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program at the Dispute Resolution Center.
This program, created by Senate Bill 5160, helps mediate negotiations between tenants and landlords before resorting to evictions.
The Dispute Resolution Center has shared data with the county for about 200 clients who had previously been referred to CAC for assistance, Webster said on Tuesday. These people are especially vulnerable in the near term, he added.
“Those are people who have an eviction filed against them,” Webster said. “So, if we are not able to provide rental assistance, they’re at imminent risk of being evicted and becoming homeless.”
Most if not all of these DRC clients likely overlap with the client files from CAC, he told the commission.
LiveStories also is prioritizing:
- Those who completed an application but have yet to receive their rent assistance payment.
- Those who were still working on their application when the contracts with CAC were suspended.
- Those who had an appointment with CAC that was canceled due to the contract suspension.
The county says no new applications will be accepted while the prioritized groups are being processed. Those who previously received rent assistance from CAC will need to reapply as a new client with LiveStories, the county says.
New applicants will eventually be able to access an online application with LiveStories or work with one of several partner organizations to submit their application. Partners include CIELO, Innovations Human Trafficking Collaboration, Family Support Center of South Sound, SafePlace and Senior Services for South Sound.
Anyone with questions about rent and utility assistance can contact Elisa Sparkman, the county’s rental assistance communication lead, at 360-490-7648 or Elisa.Sparkman@co.thurston.wa.us.
