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Mayor Harrell Issues New Executive Order to Strengthen Anti-Displacement Strategies

Executive Order will create key metrics for measuring and preventing displacement and improve the delivery of resources and supports to residents.

Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell issued an Executive Order that will align and strengthen the City’s efforts to prevent displacement in Seattle communities.

“Having grown up in the historically redlined Central District and serving as a representative for South Seattle on the City Council, I’ve seen firsthand how longtime neighbors and small businesses have been priced out of the communities that they love,” said Mayor Harrell. “As Seattle continues to grow, we need to be taking holistic, concrete steps to preserve existing affordable housing, produce more housing units to increase affordability, and protect vulnerable residents from being displaced. Rooted in best practices, this Executive Order takes a One Seattle approach to strengthen our efforts to prevent and mitigate displacement, making them more impactful, data driven, and accessible to residents.”

The order provides efforts complementary to the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan Update, which focuses on expanding housing supply and diversity to lower costs and increase affordability. While more housing is needed to accommodate future growth and reduce cost pressures, Mayor Harrell remains committed to equitable growth and helping keep residents and small businesses in their communities.

Displacement occurs when households are forced to move involuntarily for economic or physical reasons or are prevented from moving into a neighborhood because of high rents or home prices. Part of equitable growth is preventing displacement of current residents and protecting residents who are actively experiencing displacement.

The Innovation and Performance (IP) Team recently conducted a review of the City’s anti-displacement efforts which includes 20 programs across 6 different departments, totaling $44.7 million in 2024 and more than $50 million in 2025.

IP’s research found many of the City’s anti-displacement programs are grounded in a solid evidence base, indicating they can be effective in reducing displacement, while other efforts involve more novel approaches as staff seek to pilot new ideas. Additionally, IP also identified several areas where the City could improve upon its anti-displacement efforts with more proactive planning, monitoring, and evaluation to inform program delivery and strategic direction.

Building off those findings, Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order directs City departments to:

  • Develop new legislation to prevent predatory homebuying practices in Seattle which often target distressed homeowners, offering cash for their homes that may be lower than what they would otherwise receive on the open market. 
  • Create an anti-displacement work group within the City to improve coordination and outreach activities across departments and programs; support ongoing monitoring of displacement risk and provide regular reporting to the Mayor’s Office; and create an evaluation framework to support ongoing program improvement and help inform future investment decisions.
  • Improve the service design of existing anti-displacement programs including Tenant Relocation Assistance, Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance, and Emergency Rental Assistance programs, including how they can be incorporated into the Affordable Seattle portal.
  • Propose a plan for preserving naturally occurring affordable housing and create a database to track at-risk properties and potential organizations the City can partner with to preserve that housing.
  • Create a report on housing production statistics and development activity in upzoned areas following the first full year after the adoption of the One Seattle Plan.

“I appreciate Mayor Harrell’s commitment to equitable growth, and I want to thank the members of the Innovation and Performance Team for their hard work reviewing the City’s existing anti-displacement programs,” said Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth (District 3). “It is critical that we address both the current and historical root causes of displacement to ensure that our neighborhoods remain vibrant, diverse, and livable. This executive order is an important step towards ensuring that our anti-displacement programs are helping our residents and having the impact that they were designed to have.”

These efforts to mitigate displacement are part of Mayor Harrell’s One Seattle Housing Agenda, which takes a diversified, comprehensive approach to make progress on our region’s housing affordability crisis through bold investments, innovative solutions, and community partnerships.