Tenant Services is part of a group of Housing Advocates working to help shape policy and decision making at the city, county and state levels in order to make changes in housing laws impacting thousands of tenants in Washington State. Our biggest focus is to address and eliminate housing barriers that many individuals and families face.

Our legislative agenda priorities are:

• Change the law to protect individuals who are denied housing due to wrongful and unlawful evictions on their records.
• Eliminate repeated costly application and screening fees that force tenants with low incomes to choose substandard rentals or prevent them from getting housing.
• Address an alarming concern that domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault survivors are illegally denied housing based on their status as survivors.

We are happy to discuss these issues in detail with community members who are interested in becoming involved in our advocacy efforts and who want to learn more about how they can share their stories to help change the laws. While our advocacy efforts are strong and we are working directly with state legislators and community advocates, the most influential stories are from individuals who have been and are still being denied housing and want to voice their concerns.

Tenants who are interested in sharing their stories with legislators can contact Solid Ground’s Tenant Services staff directly to learn more about our legislative advocacy work and ask questions about how they can become involved. Our program can help prepare individuals to share their stories and engage legislators in listening to all tenants who face these issues.

Contact our direct advocacy line at 206.694 6748 and leave a brief message with your information and how you have faced barriers to housing. You can also email us at: tenantwa@solid-ground.org to find out more about the different ways to become involved.