Executive Order 2025-06
This Executive Order directs City departments to improve coordination, transparency, and
service delivery of emergency rental assistance efforts as a critical tool to prevent eviction
and homelessness, especially among the most vulnerable Seattle residents. The actions
ordered herein build upon and align with broader housing stability strategies, and affirm the
City’s commitment to racial equity, early prevention, and effective government.
WHEREAS, housing stability is foundational to community well-being, economic mobility, and
racial equity, and is a critical determinant of public health, educational continuity, and
neighborhood resilience; and
WHEREAS, the end of pandemic-era federal emergency rental assistance provided through the
“Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021” (referred to as “ERA1”) and the “American Rescue
Plan Act” (referred to as “ERA2”) has revealed the urgent need for sustainable, coordinated
housing stability strategies; and
WHEREAS, evidence from local and national studies consistently shows that timely, flexible, and
targeted emergency rental assistance reduces the risk of eviction, prevents immediate
homelessness, and yields high public return on investment through reduced shelter, healthcare,
and public safety costs; and
WHEREAS, 2024 survey results from affordable housing providers and recent interviews with
these providers and other landlords indicate that non-payment of rent is a top issue of concern
and threatens their ability to continue to provide housing; and
WHEREAS, individuals and families most impacted by eviction and housing instability in Seattle
are disproportionately low-income, BIPOC, disabled, and single-parent households—
underscoring the importance of equity-centered program design and implementation; and
WHEREAS, early intervention—before legal notices are served—has proven to be a cost
effective approach to preventing eviction and stabilizing households, particularly when paired
with mediation and other flexible financial services; and
WHEREAS, tenant services that include tenant education on their rights and responsibilities is
an important early intervention strategy for preventing housing instability and should be paired
with emergency rental assistance for maximum impact; and
WHEREAS, enhanced cross-agency coordination and regional collaboration are essential to
addressing the housing crisis in a holistic and durable manner, as renters often interact with
multiple agencies and systems; and
WHEREAS, rental assistance alone cannot solve the housing affordability crisis, but it is a
necessary and immediate intervention to prevent eviction and homelessness, especially when
deployed strategically alongside affordable housing production, tenant protections, and long
term housing stability supports like housing vouchers; and
WHEREAS, the City of Seattle convened an Emergency Rental Assistance Team with
involvement from the Human Services Department (HSD), Seattle Department of Construction
& Inspections (SDCI), and the Innovation and Performance Team to align on a citywide strategy
for distributing emergency rental assistance with a focus on equity, efficiency, and impact; and
WHEREAS, the Emergency Rental Assistance Team found that four departments were
distributing emergency rental assistance in 2024 with different goals and eligibility
requirements, all programs waited for a crisis event before intervening, legal services were
siloed from homelessness prevention efforts, and there was no consistent data collection for
measuring demand or outcomes; and
WHEREAS, community partners and affordable housing providers, including the Housing
Development Consortium, have advocated for expanded and improved rental assistance
programs, as well as emphasized the need for streamlined application requirements,
coordinated case management, and data sharing to better support renters and landlords and
improve service delivery outcomes; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle City Council issued Statement of Legislative Intent (SLI) HSD-040S-A
requesting that HSD and SDCI report on how best to distribute rental assistance to ensure
maximum distribution to households at risk of homelessness or eviction or currently homeless
or in eviction proceedings. The City Council, including the sponsors of this SLI, have been strong
and consistent advocates for increased resources for rental assistance and for greater
coordination across City programs and investments; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Harrell has identified a sufficiently funded rental assistance program as a key
element of the overall functioning and health of the affordable housing sector and will add $4
million to support rental assistance programs in the 2026 Proposed Budget;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor of Seattle, order the following actions to
strengthen emergency rental assistance delivery and advance housing stability:
A. Bring all emergency rental assistance programs together into one citywide plan.
The City will develop a comprehensive and well-coordinated plan to manage the distribution of
emergency rental assistance. This will include improving two existing programs that help people
in crisis and creating a new program that helps people earlier – before things get worse.
These strategies include:
- Strategy #1: Preventing Imminent Risk of Homelessness: The City will focus resources
on households that have a significant amount of rent arrears due to temporary financial
hardship, as they are most at risk of imminent homelessness. - Strategy #2: Intervening in Active Eviction: The City will support renters who have a
significant amount of rent arrears, have an active eviction notice, and have fallen behind
on rent due to temporary financial hardship. - Strategy #3: Intervening at Early Signs of Instability: The City will support renters
without a significant amount of rent arrears facing early indicators of instability (e.g.,
late payments, income loss, benefit disruption) with flexible assistance that prevents
escalation to formal eviction proceedings.
Assistance for all strategies may include making past due and future rent payments as
determined necessary for housing stability, mediation support, and relocation assistance all
combined with case management support.
B. Increase and Stabilize funding for emergency rental assistance strategies.
My 2026 Proposed Budget will include$4 million in funding to support the three emergency
rental assistance strategies. Within 60 days of this executive order, HSD will produce a draft
spend plan across the three strategies.
C. Put one City department in charge of executing the plan.
The City will make it easier for people to get help by having one department manage rental
assistance programs. This will reduce confusion, make rules clearer, and help community
groups work better together. - HSD shall be designated as the lead agency for managing all new contracts involving
emergency rental assistance, starting in 2026. - SDCI will retain and complete existing emergency rental assistance-related contracts
through the end of 2025 and continue to manage contracts thereafter that provide legal
services for eviction prevention and services that help renters understand their rights
and responsibilities. - In 2025, HSD, with support from the Innovation and Performance Team, will launch a
pilot with a community-based organization to develop the new upstream intervention
strategy to support renters facing early indicators of housing instability. As part of the
pilot, HSD and the Office of Housing (OH) will collaborate to explore housing
stabilization needs in the OH portfolio, and possible interventions that could prevent
residents from losing their housing. - In 2026, HSD shall issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for existing emergency rental
assistance intervention strategies for contracts beginning in 2027. This RFP will include
coordination with SDCI’s RFP for legal services. - For new emergency rental assistance contracts:
a. RFPs from HSD and SDCI will incentivize partnerships between organizations
delivering emergency rental assistance, legal aid, and tenant services.
b. All contracts will include clear expectations for aligned data collection and
reporting, enabling the City to evaluate equity of access, demand trends, and
long-term housing stability outcomes. - The Innovation and Performance Team and HSD shall analyze screening data, program
data, and population-level statistics to explore models that promote landlord
participation and renter stability beyond emergency assistance.
D. Make it easier, faster, and fairer for people to apply for emergency rental assistance.
The City will create a simple, online way for people to apply when necessary. The goal is to
reduce delays, cut down on paperwork, and make sure everyone has a fair chance to get the
support they need. HSD, SDCI, and the Affordable Seattle Team will:
- Develop a standardized screening and application form in CiviForm by the end of 2025,
in collaboration with emergency rental assistance-implementing organizations. The form
shall:
o Be consistent across City-funded ERA programs.
o Standardize and minimize documentation requirements while ensuring
verification and compliance with relevant regulations in line best practices from
the City’s other affordability programs. - Build a centralized, user-friendly digital “front door” for emergency rental assistance
applications in CiviForm. This entry point will serve as a common platform for applicants
and shall be used to triage users to the appropriate provider or program. - In 2026, issue an RFP to select a community-based organization to manage front-door
applications for new contracts beginning in 2027. The RFP will encourage providing 24/7
phone line support for applicant navigation and referrals.
E. Work with other funders to better support renters across the region.
The City will coordinate with King County, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority,
United Way of King County, and other public and philanthropic funders to share goals, track
progress together, and combine funding where possible. This will help more people get both
short-term help and longer-term support. Specific activities could include: - Aligning investment priorities and program models across the region.
- Developing shared outcome metrics and approaches to measuring impact.
- Exploring shared databases or integrated platforms that enable effective case
coordination and referral. - Exploring pooled or braided funding strategies to support both those in need of
temporary services as well as refer to services that can offer longer-term assistance.