A Bellingham affordable housing resident in ‘mental crisis’ faces eviction. Tenant advocates are stepping in

Bellingham tenant advocates are challenging a Whatcom County Superior Court decision to approve eviction proceedings for a low-income senior resident who allegedly owes thousands of dollars in unpaid rent.

The tenant has been a resident of the Eleanor Apartments in downtown Bellingham since October 2018, court records show. The Herald is not naming the tenant.

The Eleanor is an affordable housing development owned and operated by nonprofit developer Mercy Housing. The nonprofit alleges the tenant owes $4,618 in unpaid rent and was served with a 30-day notice to pay or vacate on May 1.

Members of the Eleanor Tenant Advocates and Bellingham Tenants Union — several of them current or former neighbors of the tenant — say she is struggling with mental health issues that prevent her from paying her rent without support.

The tenant advocates say they have contacted Adult Protective Services regarding the tenant’s well-being because they are concerned she has no support system.

“I observed that (the tenant) often appeared disoriented, agitated, forgetful, inappropriate or irrational in speech, and behaved in a manner that caused me to believe she was in emotional distress or mental crisis,” wrote Eleanor tenant advocate Stan Betts in one of three declarations filed to the court by tenant advocates in support of a mental health evaluation for the tenant.

The tenant did not appear for a court hearing on Friday, July 12, at which she was required to be present to show cause as to why she should not be evicted from the premises.

Due to the tenant’s non-appearance, Whatcom County Superior Court Commissioner Lisa Keeler granted a writ of restitution to Mercy Housing, which essentially allows the nonprofit to regain possession of the tenant’s unit by evicting the tenant with the assistance of the Whatcom County Sheriff — a process that can happen within a matter of days.

“We were all deeply disappointed with what we felt was a fundamental failure of justice, and remain gravely concerned for (the tenant’s) well being — and in fact her survival,” Betts wrote in an email to other advocates.

The advocates say they fear that evicting the tenant will put her at risk of losing stable and affordable housing.

“I’m appalled,” said Eleanor tenant advocate Karina Davidson in an interview with The Herald after the writ of restitution was granted Friday. “This is how people end up homeless.”

Suffering from an acute or chronic behavioral health crisis can be one of many contributing factors that lead to homelessness, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. On a given night in 2023, 31 percent of the homeless population reported having a serious mental illness , according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Keeping people in their homes is the most important thing,” said Bellingham Tenants Union organizer Kerri Burnside in an interview with The Herald. “This could put her into a catastrophic decline. Once someone is homeless, the cost and the amount of people and resources it takes to get them back into housing at least quadruples. So it’s really important that we take preventative measures.”

The tenant advocates say Mercy Housing deserves to be paid the rent that is owed, but also that the tenant needs adequate resources and assistance to maintain housing.

“It should be obvious that (the tenant) really does owe over $4,500 in back rent, and Mercy has every right to get paid. It’s also clear that because of her fragile mental health and other growing physical needs, she can no longer live safely or independently at Eleanor,” Betts wrote in the email. “She needs a supervised living environment staffed and equipped to provide the full range of medical and social services that she needs now, and will need in the future.”

Mercy Housing did not respond to a request for comment from The Herald regarding the eviction proceedings.

The tenant advocates said they intend to challenge the commissioner’s decision by filing a motion for revision to prevent immediate eviction.

That motion must be filed within 10 days of Friday’s decision.