Seattle to foot bill to house refugees for next 3 weeks in SeaTac hotels

SEATAC, Wash. — Ninety Venezuelan migrant refugee families facing eviction from a Kent hotel will get another reprieve, with the City of Seattle agreeing to pay for an additional three weeks at two new hotels.

In late January, families at the Kent hotel were given a one-week extension. On Monday, the City of Seattle said that it will now pay for stays through Feb. 26 “to address this immediate humanitarian need.”

This will come from funds that had previously been set aside in the city budget for migrant issues.

”The City of Seattle is committed to helping migrant families and individuals connect with regional, state, and federal resources and supports to assist them in navigating the asylum process and finding housing resources, and our Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs is partnering with community groups serving migrants as part of that effort,” city spokesperson Jamie Housen office told KIRO 7.

The 90 migrant families will be sent to two different hotels in SeaTac.

In the meantime, city leaders say they are “closely following” the state legislative session in Olympia, where a proposal for $8 million of spending toward this issue is on the table.

“Given this is a regional, state, and national issue, we are looking to our King County, Washington state, and federal partners to develop and support sustainable longer-term solutions given that City resources for this response will quickly be exhausted,” Housen said.

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