EDRA and Anti-Displacement
Seattle’s EDRA Program Means Move First, Get Help Later
The Stranger - February 2025
The City’s Anti-Displacement Plan Has Landlords Ridiculously Crying Financial Hardship
Seattle renters are all too familiar with the gut-punch of rent renewal notices: a cheerful “Happy Anniversary!” followed by a staggering increase—9.9 percent, 15 percent, or a jaw-dropping 45 percent. Between 2021 and 2022, downtown Seattle's median asking rent soared from $1,300 to $3,118, as housing costs fluctuated post-peak pandemic. Residents across the city struggled to keep up with skyrocketing housing costs, leading Seattle to launch the Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance (EDRA) program in July 2022.
EDRA was created to address the growing crisis of economic evictions. But instead of preventing displacement, EDRA only responds to renters already in the process of being displaced. Rather than by regulating rent increases or alleviating financial pressures renters face, the city created a bureaucratic system that renters must opt into and navigate. This shifts the burden of time, effort, and knowledge onto renters while failing to address the root causes of displacement or provide meaningful support to help low-income households remain in Seattle.
We renters make up the majority of the city’s population, with more than 50% renting since 2019. According to 2023 data, 23 percent of renters spend more than half their incomes on rent, far exceeding the 30% affordability threshold. While rents dipped following the sharp rise in 2022, they’re climbing again, with downtown apartments seeing a 2.5% year-over-year increase. Codified in Chapter 22.212 of the Seattle Municipal Code, EDRA was created to assist tenants facing “economic displacement” due to rising housing costs.