EVICTION RESOURCES
In 2021, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington State Legislature enacted many new landlord-tenant laws. Evictions in Washington State are called Unlawful Detainers.
Appointed Counsel
One of the new laws provides that low-income tenants shall be appointed a free attorney to represent them during Unlawful Detainer proceedings. Tenants must be screened to determine eligibility for an appointed attorney.
To screen for appointed counsel in Kitsap County, tenants should:
(1) Contact Kitsap Legal Services at EvictionDefense@KitsapLegalServices.org or 360-479-6125;
(2) Contact the Eviction Defense hotline at 1-855-657-8387; or
(3) Connect with Kitsap Legal Services during a Zoom meeting for tenant screening on Friday mornings at 9:00 am. (Zoom Meeting ID: 815-2621-4548 / Passcode: 651681 (KLS-hosted)).
Eviction Resolution Pilot Program (ERPP)
The Legislature also created an Eviction Resolution Pilot Program (ERPP) for evictions based on non-payment of rent in which the eviction notice was given on or before June 30, 2023. The goal of the program is to bring all parties together with trained resolution specialists to explore solutions such as available State and local rental assistance, or achievable payment plans that could help tenants retain their housing and divert their situations from the legal eviction process. In Kitsap County, the ERPP was implemented by Standing Order on August 18, 2021. The Order was subsequently amended on April 5, 2022, December 7, 2022, and June 13, 2023. While the statute underlying the ERPP expired on June 30, 2023 formally ending the program, parties in Kitsap County who were in the ERPP before July 1, 2023 have until September 30, 2023 to complete the mediation process.
FOR THE EVICTION RESOLUTION PILOT PROGRAM (ERPP) AND MEDIATION: Dispute Resolution Center
DRC of Kitsap County 9004 Washington Avenue NW
Silverdale, WA 98383
360-698-0968
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FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND HOUSING RESOURCES:
Kitsap Community Resources
1201 Park Avenue
Bremerton, WA 98337
360-473-2035
www.kcr.org
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FOR APPOINTED COUNSEL AND FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE: Kitsap Legal Services
500 Pacific Ave., Ste. 401
Bremerton, WA 98337
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TO APPLY FOR FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE (must qualify):
Northwest Justice Project
400 Warren Avenue, Suite 350
Bremerton, WA 98337
www.WashingtonLawHelp.org
Eviction Defense Hotline: 1-855-657-8387
https://nwjustice.org/eviction-help
CLEAR General Intake:: 888-201-1015
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