Geneva Holmes James’ Seattle apartment has no hot water in the kitchen.
“I warm it up on the stove,” she said.
The stove luckily works, but the oven door is busted.
She’s also facing an eviction for non-payment and for not responding to the landlord’s lawyers. But she says the landlord won’t accept her payment.
The landlord’s attorney says it’s not true and they’re negotiating with Geneva’s lawyers. They say they weren’t informed about the problems with the apartment and are working to make repairs.
In our state, Geneva’s lawyer is free because Washington is the only state in the country that offers the right to counsel for low-income tenants facing eviction. Paid for, by Washington state tax dollars.
Edmund Witter is the Managing Attorney for King County’s Housing Justice Project. He says most landlords by far – almost nine out of ten times had an attorney – while tenants did not. The King County Housing Justice Project gets $4.6 million a year from the state and another $500,000 more from King County to pay its 32 lawyers and support staff.