Spokane Wildfire Response: Temporary Housing Protections Announced
As communities across the Spokane region continue to respond to the devastating impacts of the ongoing wildfires, the safety and protection of residents remains our highest priority.
Today, Governor Ferguson announced temporary measures intended to provide housing stability for residents affected by the fires and give housing providers greater flexibility to assist individuals and families who have been displaced.
WMFHA supports efforts to ensure that residents impacted by this emergency have a safe place to stay and that housing providers are able to support their communities during this difficult time.
What housing providers need to know
Effective immediately, the Governor’s action includes several temporary provisions affecting rental housing in Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens, and Yakima Counties, as well as specified tribal lands impacted by the wildfires:
Writs of restitution: Local law enforcement is temporarily prohibited from serving, threatening to serve, or otherwise acting on eviction orders, including writs of restitution, through August 24. Limited exceptions apply to certain court orders involving an immediate risk to the health, safety, or property of others, as well as certain owner/family occupancy and property sale cases.
Eviction notices: Housing providers may not serve or enforce notices requiring a resident to vacate based on the presence of individuals or pets who have been displaced from their primary residence by the wildfires. This protection applies through August 31.
Health and safety protections: The order preserves the ability of law enforcement to act on an eviction order when the court has found that an individual named in the order creates a significant and immediate risk to the health, safety, or property of others.
Housing displaced residents: Statewide, housing providers may not serve or enforce notices requiring a resident to vacate based on temporarily housing individuals or pets displaced from the designated wildfire-affected areas. This protection remains in effect through August 31.
Abandonment: In the designated wildfire-affected areas, housing providers may not treat a resident’s absence due to evacuation, fire damage, or other wildfire-related displacement as abandonment unless the resident communicates that they do not intend to resume their tenancy. This protection remains in effect through August 31.
Duration: The restriction on executing eviction orders remains in effect through 11:59 p.m. on August 24. Protections related to wildfire displacement, abandonment, and temporarily housing displaced individuals and pets remain in effect through 11:59 p.m. on August 31.
WMFHA will continue working closely with the Governor’s Office and other state and local partners as these measures are implemented. As part of that work, we will advocate for appropriate protections that ensure housing providers can continue taking necessary action when the safety and well-being of residents and communities may be at risk.
We will continue to keep members informed as additional guidance becomes available.
Our thoughts are with the residents, housing providers, first responders, and communities affected by the fires.
WMFHA is compiling an FAQ to help members understand and navigate the Governor’s order. If you have questions about the order or encounter issues with its implementation, please contact me at william@wmfha.org. Your feedback will also help inform the guidance and resources we provide to members.