In 2021, Washington became the first state to guarantee low-income tenants facing eviction the right to an attorney.

On a recent afternoon at the King County Courthouse, it’s difficult to tell.

A young woman in a pale blue T-shirt sits alone before a judge, explaining that she ran out of savings and fell behind on rent. After moving across the country, she says she hasn’t yet found full-time work and has nowhere else to go.

“It is very much a high risk of me being homeless and sleeping in my car with my dog,” she says.

She doesn’t dispute that she owes unpaid rent and the judge moves her case along, ruling in favor of the landlord and ordering her eviction.

“Good luck to you,” the judge says, and moves on to the next case.

The cycle repeats all afternoon. Tenant after tenant beams in

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