Event Summary and Resource Guide

Community Conversations with Council Landlord/Tenant Relationships

May 4, 2022
5:30 – 7 PM
SeaTac Community Center

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Purpose of the Community Meeting

City Councilmembers expressed to the City Manager that they were hearing concerns from the community regarding rental issues. To better understand the issues faced by tenants and landlords, the community meeting was scheduled. This provided an opportunity for Councilmembers to have conversations with both tenants and landlords to hear their experiences and concerns. The information gathered is intended to assist the City in identifying any gaps in existing programs or policies.  We had three Councilmembers in attendance, Mayor Jake Simpson, Councilmember Peter Kwon, and Councilmember Iris Guzmán. City staff, service providers, and interpreters were in attendance as well.

Community Engagement and Connection

The City sincerely appreciates everyone that participated in the first in-person community event following a couple years of living in a virtual meeting world due to Covid.

Over 100 people attended. The City used social media platforms to widely advertise the event and appreciate the community organizers and service providers that also helped spread the word. 

Common Themes

We provided interpreters in our top non-English languages: Spanish, Somali, and Amharic to assist in communication. We had six designated staff note-takers to capture the overall nature of the conversations. The notes were aggregated into common themes.

Affordability:

• Cost of living and affordability
• Affording the cost of first and last month’s rent plus damage deposit
• Trouble finding rental assistance

Renter Protections:

• Limits on rental increases
• Extended eviction notices
• Relocation allowance

Legal:

• Unsure of tenant and landlord rights
• Access to free legal services

Successes

The event was a success in many ways.

The presentation provided information on both landlord and tenant rights.

Attendees were able to talk about their experiences and needs one on one with councilmembers, staff, and service providers, and were provided with valuable information and resources. 

City staff and Councilmembers were able to connect attendees to resources available to SeaTac residents. 

The City’s Human Services Coordinator Kim Cooper shared that she was able to connect six attendees directly with service providers during the meeting and confirmed that they received services.  She also received feedback from a landlord that was appreciative because their tenant was able to pay their rent with rental assistance. She experienced a large volume of calls from those seeking services in the days following the event. 

The City was able to gather and identify common issues and make connections with the community on a personal level. 

Staff met to debrief and share the successes and challenges faced at the community meeting to brainstorm improvements for future meetings. The successes and improvements will be incorporated into a staff checklist for future community meetings.

Next Steps - Turning Analysis into Action

Knowledge and Access - The significant assistance Human Services was able to provide in real time indicates there is a gap in peoples’ knowledge of what help is available and how to access it. Potential next steps may include:

• Sponsor a Resource Fair with more service providers, including utilities.
• Assist the community in navigating barriers to services available to them.
• Add the presentation slides to the Human Services website page as an additional resource.
• Encourage people not to wait until they are at a critical point before seeking help.  What can we do to communicate and connect them to resources earlier in their struggle?
• Identify potential policy steps the City can take.
• Have a discussion about what resources and legislation is currently available or being discussed at different levels of government in order to determine where the City may have a role.

Resources:

Below are relevant resource links addressing the common themes mentioned above:

May 4, 2022 - Community Conversations PowerPoint Presentation

May 4, 2022 - Legal Resources Slide

2021-2022 Guide to Human Services Providers

Human Services Webpage

Event Summary Publication date June 2, 2022