Legal Resources
All information is in English. You can translate the information with Google Translate Links to an external site. - https://translate.google.com/ Links to an external site.
RTC offers this information as a resource. RTC is not responsible for the services or accuracy of information provided by agencies outside the college. Please check back for updates!
We are striving to get you the most updated information, there may be times when we have not received the changes in a timely manner. You may wish to contact these organizations directly.
Free Legal Resources
King County Bar Association Free Legal Assistance Links to an external site.- https://www.kcba.org/For-the-Public/Free-Legal-Assistance Links to an external site.
King County Bar Associaton - Find a Lawyer Links to an external site. - https://www.kcba.org/For-the-Public/Hire-a-Lawyer Links to an external site.
Workers Rights
Workers' Rights During Covid-19 Links to an external site. - Casa Latina in conjunction with Fair Work Center has an ongoing Spanish Webinar on Wednesday Evenings that starts at 7 - 8 PM on Facebook Live
Tenant Rights
Eastside Legal Assistance - updated 4/3/20
Each of our organization's information is below, and if you have clients that need legal assistance with housing issues please contact us.
Eastside Legal Assistance Program (Family Law and DV, Immigration, Debt Protection/Bankruptcy, and General Law as well)
www.elap.org Links to an external site.
425-747-7274
Housing Justice Project
253-234-4204
Some info from the attorneys:
Q: How are rent increases being addressed?
A: "...I am not aware...of any moratorium that prohibits rent increases or regulates them in some other way. However, state law requires a landlord to provide 60 days' written notice before a rent increase can become effective."
Q: How do we handle situations where undocumented clients are concerned about being reported by their landlord/neighbor/etc? Some landlords may use ICE as a way to scare people into paying “If you don’t pay or leave right now I will have you deported". Are undocumented clients protected under the Federal/State/City Moratoriums?
A: "Legally, I am not aware of any carve out in our state or local moratoria that exempts undocumented individuals from those protections. I am also not aware of any such carve out at the federal level...I assume that if you are a tenant you are protected regardless of your legal status as a resident of this country. As far as a landlord making threats or following through on such threats, I've seen a lot of good know-your-rights material from other organizations regarding what to do when ICE or law enforcement in general visits and demands entry into an individual's home. I would imagine that information would be beneficial to anyone who does find themselves in that situation."
Resources for the KYR Materials they mentioned can be found at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project site Links to an external site.. NWIRP also put together a Webinar in English Links to an external site. and Spanish Links to an external site. about community members' questions regarding to health care access during this time.
Further Info/Resources:
WA Emergency Housing Protections Links to an external site.
Preservation Database Links to an external site. AND/OR WA Housing Finance Commission Links to an external site. - If you need to see if your housing is federally funded or a tax-credit property, go to these websites.
WA Attorney General's Office Links to an external site. - The WA Attorney General's office is officially enforcing the moratorium and tenants and advocates can fill out a form on their website (linked above), email them at civilrights@atg.wa.gov, or contact them via phone at (833) 660-4877 and leave a general message by selecting Option 1.
Eastside for All Links to an external site. - A wonderful non-profit that does a ton of work in East King County and has put together a great list of resources for East King County.
United Way of King County Links to an external site. - They have an amazing list of current resources in King County.
Vine Maple Place Links to an external site. - Single-parent families in South King County can call Vine Maple Place at 425-432-2119 for rent assistance, employment coaching and budgeting help.
Financial Resources Links to an external site. - From the WA Dept. of Financial Institutions, a list of financial resources for those affected by Covid-19.
Working Washington Links to an external site. - Working WA has a list of resources for Workers during this time.
Legal Organization Webinars:
There are also many different organizations doing work throughout King County with webinars on different areas of law.
Workers' Rights During Covid-19 Links to an external site. - Casa Latina in conjunction with Fair Work Center has an ongoing Spanish Webinar on Wednesday Evenings that starts at 7 - 8 PM on Facebook Live
Unemployment Questions Links to an external site. - Unemployment Law Project has webinars on its website that address questions about Unemployment.
Immigration
Eastside Legal Assistance Program Links to an external site. - https://www.elap.org/ Links to an external site. Updated 3/25/20
ELAP is still open! This means that we are continuing to provide FREE legal services to low-income clients throughout King County. We are providing phone consultations each week in the areas of Family Law, Domestic Violence, Immigration, Debt & Bankruptcy, and General Law. We offer interpretive services, so language will not be a barrier. We are also starting to present webinars about various legal topics, please stay tuned as next week we'll have one on current Tenant Rights during Covid-19.
Please have clients give us a call at 425-747-7274. Be sure to tell clients to leave a voicemail if we're on the other line.
Due to the current environment, ELAP has decided to switch from in-person legal clinics to telephone consultations.. We want to make sure people who need legal assistance are still able to speak to an attorney, but also must weigh the health and safety of those at the clinics. If clients have documents they would normally bring to the clinic, they can scan and email them to us and we will forward it to the attorney. They can use Office Depot and/or Staples to fax documents to brenda@elap.org. We will send an update later this month once we determine if we will need to continue with the phone consultations. We recognize the limitations of this approach, however, the health and safety of clients, volunteers, and staff of the facilities where we work at is what led us to this decision. People should still continue to call our Intake line at 425-747-7274, and they will receive a callback within 48 hours.
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Links to an external site. updated 3/26/20
GET HELP
Changes Due to Public Health Emergency - Closed for Walk-Ins
We are closely following the COVID-19 public health crisis. Following new mandates and guidelines by the governor, county executives, and public health officials, NWIRP will be shifting to deliver some of our services remotely beginning Monday, March 16. All NWIRP offices (in Granger, Seattle, Tacoma, and Wenatchee) will be closed for walk-ins, until further notice.
NWIRP will continue to take community members’ calls.
If you already have a scheduled appointment with a NWIRP legal advocate, your appointment will be kept (over the phone, or in-person if necessary). Please check directly with the appropriate legal advocate or call the front desk.
Seattle: 206-587-4009/ 800-445-5771
Granger: 509-854-2100/ 888-756-3641
Wenatchee: 509-570-0054/ 866-271-2084
Tacoma: 206-816-3893
Note: If you or a family member is detained at the northwest detention center in Tacoma, please contact: 253-383-0519/ 877-814-6444.
These are preventative measures to minimize any health risks and to ensure the safety of staff, clients, and community members during the COVID-19 crisis.
Please visit our community information page
Links to an external site. for more information and resources on COVID-19.
Please also visit our website frequently and follow us on Facebook
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Amharic: ተዘግትናል. ከ መጋቢት ፩፮ ጀምሮ ቢሮ እንዳትመጡ። ይልቅን በዚ ቁጥርደውሉልን.
Simplified Chinese: 暂时关闭. 从3月16日开始，请不要来办公室。 如需联系，请拨打以下电话。
French: FERMÉ. À partir du 16 Mars, s'il vous plaît ne venez pas au bureau. Appelez-nous plutôt au numéro indiqué ci-dessous.
Mam: Jpun te q'ij jalo qaq laj - lay tzula toj ja te kolb'il - yolb'intza toj yolb'il. Chjonte.
Russian: МЫ ЗАКРЫТЫ. С 16-ого марта, пожалуйста не приходите к нам в офис. Звоните по номеру, указанному внизу.
Somali: Ogeysiis ogeysiis.Fadlan waxaa laga codsanayaa macaamiisha ku xiran ganacsigan in aysan soo booqanin xafiiska laga bilaabo 16 ka maarso, sababtu ay tahay cudurka caabuuqa faafa dartii, fadlan waxaad nagala soo xiriirta namber ka hoos ku qoran hadii aad wax su’aala ah qabto. Mahadsanid
Vietnamese: ĐÓNG CỬA. Bắt đầu từ ngày 16 tháng 3, quý vị xin vui lòng không đến văn phòng trực tiếp. Thay vào đó, xin vui lòng liên hệ với chúng tôi qua số điện thoại dưới đây.
Eligibility
Because NWIRP receives approximately 1,500 inquiries for services per week, we are unable to serve every request. Eligibility requirements can change depending on the caseload of our attorneys, demand for services, and activity in the immigration community around the country. However, our standard eligibility criteria for direct legal representation include:
- Status: NWIRP supports immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees, regardless of immigration status.
- Income: In general, NWIRP can only assist individuals with an income of 200% or less of the Federal poverty level. Based on the poverty guidelines for 2018, this equals $24,280 per year for an individual and $50,200 for a family of four. Some of NWIRP's funding sources have higher or lower limits, so individuals should contact us to determine eligibility.
- Hardship in Home Country: NWIRP often takes cases of those who risk returning to countries where they would face significant hardships.
- Cases of Abuse: NWIRP tries to help those who lack legal status and are being physically or emotionally abused by someone in their family.
- Other Factors: Other factors, such as language barriers, age of applicant, and situation with dependents, are taken into account when deciding whether to take your case.
You can find a complete list of our eligibility requirements in English and Spanish at the following link: NWIRP Eligibility Requirements Links to an external site.
If you have an immigration question and believe you meet these criteria, please contact the closest office listed below.
If the unit you are calling is not able to take your call, please leave a detailed message with your NAME and PHONE NUMBER as well as a BRIEF EXPLANATION of your immigration issue.
When you call, please explain what type of immigration issue you are calling about:
- Citizenship – ask for the Citizenship Unit
- Domestic Violence – ask for the VAWA Unit
- Asylum – ask for the Asylum Unit
- Family-Based Immigration – ask for the Family Services Unit
- Children or Juvenile – Ask for the Children & Juvenile Unit
- All other inquiries – Let the receptionist know your situation so we can best help you
Western Washington
Seattle Office
Serving individuals in Island, King, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties.
Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30AM - 12:00PM and 1:00PM - 4:00PM
Phone: 206.587.4009
Toll Free: 800.445.5771
If you live in King County OR work or go to school in Seattle, you may be eligible for help through the new Legal Defense Hotline, made possible by the City of Seattle and King County.
Call 206.816.3870 to find out if you qualify and to get help. Find out more about the Legal Defense Network here (English) Links to an external site.or here Links to an external site.(Spanish)
Tacoma Office – Serving Northwest Detention Center and Southwestern Washington
If you or a family member is detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma Links to an external site., please contact us:
Email: Tacoma@nwirp.org
Phone: 253.383.0519
Toll Free: 877.814.6444
Please leave a voice message with the detained person's name and, if possible, the "A number" on the bracelet at the detention center.
Tacoma & South Unit (TSU)
The Tacoma Office serves individuals living in Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties.
Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00AM - 12:00PM and 1:00PM - 4:30PM
E-mail: TSUintake@nwirp.org
Phone: 206.816.3893
Please e-mail or leave a voice message with your name, phone number, county of residence, and the nature of your request for assistance.
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