If Washington’s extended ban on evictions expires at the end of March, 46-year-old Antonio Salazar could potentially lose his housing.
Salazar, a native of Mexico and 20-year resident of Redmond, worked as a chef until a few years ago when he suffered an accident that required spinal surgery. His only source of income had been workers’ compensation, which he said the state terminated a year ago, just before the pandemic set in.
His landlord had tried to evict him before the moratorium and a King County eviction prevention program brokered an agreement, covering six months of his $1,422 monthly rent in exchange for the owner forgiving three months that he owed last year, Salazar said. But the rental relief ended in November and he is still trying to get the Department of Labor and Industries to reopen his case.
