March 25, 2020                                                                                                          

Dear SHA Housing Choice Voucher Clients and Stakeholders,

At 5:30 p.m. Monday, Governor Inslee announced a Stay Home, Stay Healthy order for the state of Washington in response to the coronavirus outbreak. In a strongly worded message to citizens, he stressed that the only means we have to stop the spread of the virus is to keep physically apart from each other.

The order instructs people to stay home at least through the next two weeks unless it is absolutely necessary to go out. People are allowed to go out only for essential reasons such as food, medicine, exercise if staying six feet apart from others, or to work in jobs such as health care, the food supply chain and other essential services.

As a provider of housing vouchers and related services, SHA’s work is considered essential under the governor’s order. SHA is not closing and we will continue to provide housing and other services to our clients, although with changes to minimize contact between people. 

We have already communicated with you about the closure of SHA offices to walk-in visitors, suspension of certain inspections and other measures we are taking to minimize contact and protect tenants, partners, staff and our community. You can read earlier messages and get other information on our website at seattlehousing.org.

The governor’s new order doesn’t change our commitment to serving SHA Housing Choice Voucher clients and stakeholders, and our services are still available by phone, email and our website. The governor’s order does limit our on-site services to only those that are essential, which includes responding on any life or safety issues.

On a separate flyer, you can find information on how to proceed with common interactions and transactions between voucher holders, landlords and others, and SHA.

We remain fully committed to serving you. You can contact your case manager or regular SHA contact at any time. If you don’t know who that is or how to reach them, you can call 206.239.1728 or email HCV@seattlehousing.org.

We are also connecting tenants with information and resources through our newsletter The Voice, which is emailed every two weeks. If you have email but are not receiving the newsletter, please contact the phone number above to provide your email address.

This is a rapidly changing environment that we are in and I will continue to keep you informed.

There is no way to know how long people here and around the world will need to avoid contact with other people to stop the spread of coronavirus. Our hope is that our efforts are successful and the number of cases begins to decline very soon. We will operate SHA in accordance with the advice and orders of our public health and public officials as long as necessary, and I ask for your continued patience and cooperation.

I especially ask that you follow the governor’s order to stay home unless it is essential to go out, and that you follow all public health guidelines. 

Please reach out to us if you have any concerns or questions about your participation in SHA’s Housing Choice Voucher program.

Andrew Lofton
Executive Director