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u.s. news Dialuna 2 augustus 2021

Pandemic eviction crisis leads to greater tenant protections

(AP) — In a mostly empty tor at the Eviction Lab, told a
conference room at a Vir- White House conference on
ginia cultural arts cen- the issue.
ter, Tara Simmons was
looking for someone who “This is a chance to reinvent
might help her stave off how we adjudicate and ad-
eviction. dress the eviction crisis in a
way ... that works for tenants
Simmons, a 44-year-old and property owners better
home health aide who lives than the status quo, in a way
with her two children and that clearly invests in homes
two grandchildren, was only and families and communi-
a month behind on her rent. ties, with the recognition that
But that didn’t stop her land- without stable shelter, every-
lord from ordering her out of thing else falls apart.”
the house by Saturday, when
the federal eviction morato- Housing advocates have
rium ended. mostly attacked the problem
from two directions.
Already enduring health
problems, Simmons said she Some teamed up with law-
feared she would be out on makers and court adminis-
the street. trators to launch programs
to resolve eviction cases be-
“I’ve been in my house for fore they reach the courts.
four years now. And two Others focused on state and
months before my lease was local tenant protection legis-
up, I get an email saying lation, including sealing evic- families around being evict- was affected by the pandem-
that they weren’t renewing tion records and ensuring ed.” ic. Then in April, the courts “It’s a win for the landlord,
my lease,” said Simmons of tenants get lawyers. Having mandated that landlords at- who gets paid. It’s a win for
Newport News, Virginia. an eviction record can make In Colorado, state Sen. Julie tend the program before fil- the tenant, who gets to stay,
“That’s it. No explanation it impossible to find a new Gonzales said the widespread ing an eviction. and, selfishly, it’s a win for
why or whatever.” apartment, while the right eviction threat encouraged the courts because that is one
to counsel evens the playing legislators to pass several bills “This is a fundamentally im- less case we have to process.”
“I’ve been trying to find field, since most landlords, this year, including a grace portant change to the way
somewhere to move since I but not tenants, come to period for late fees and lim- Philadelphia approaches The right to counsel, too, has
got that. I still haven’t been court with a lawyer. its on what fees can be im- evictions,” said Rachel Gar- spread.
able to find a way to move posed. Tenants also can with- land, managing attorney at
because of the economy. ... Many of the ideas have been hold payment for problems the housing unit of Commu- John Pollock, coordinator
This pandemic is hard.” around for years. But the like utilities being shut off or nity Legal Services in Phila- for the National Coalition
scope of the eviction crisis mold, and present that as a delphia. for a Civil Right to Counsel
As a state lawmaker made during the pandemic, the defense in court. Another bill in Baltimore, said Washing-
a few remarks and others historic amount of federal that passed gives evicted ten- “Rental assistance and diver- ton state, Connecticut and
grabbed free lunch, Sim- rental assistance available ants 10 days, rather than 48 sion prioritizes the economic Maryland have passed right-
mons connected with attor- and the eviction moratorium hours, to find new housing. health of landlords and com- to-counsel laws. Ten cities
neys from the Legal Aid Soci- changed the calculus. Politi- plete health and well-being have approved measures,
ety of Eastern Virginia. They cians from areas that rarely “We realized that it wasn’t of tenants in a way that re- including Seattle, Cleveland
advised her that her landlord see evictions were hearing just an urban thing, that rural solves situations so landlords and Louisville. Milwaukee
needed a court order to get from anxious constituents Coloradans, mountain towns get paid, issues get resolved County set aside money to
her out. She was safe for now. and craved a solution. Land- were struggling with people and tenants are able to stay in provide low-income tenants
lords were more willing to unable to pay their rent,” their homes,” she said. with lawyers.
The Virginia event in late July participate in the programs Gonzales said.
is part of a growing national because evicting tenants be- “Even though it was created So far, the initiatives are
movement — bolstered by came a challenge. According to the Urban In- in response to the pandemic, proving successful.
tens of billions of dollars in stitute, 47 state and local its importance will long out-
federal rental assistance — to “The pandemic, at least here programs nationwide now live the pandemic and will Some 75% of the 1,788 ten-
find ways to keep millions in Baltimore, has created offer some mix of legal help, hopefully become a perma- ants participating in a Phila-
of at-risk tenants hurt by a sense of urgency around a housing counselor and me- nent fixture in Philadelphia.” delphia program have re-
the coronavirus pandemic in creating some forms of ten- diation between landlord and mained housed, according to
their homes. ant protection,” said Carisa tenant. A pilot mediation program the city. In New York, 86%
Hatfield, a housing attorney in two New Hampshire cit- of tenants who had lawyers
The push has the potential to for the Homeless Persons Some, like Texas, Michigan ies this year was driven in were able to remain in their
reshape a system long skewed Representation Project, not- and Massachusetts, offer part by concerns that courts homes. Cleveland, which saw
in favor of landlords that has ing Baltimore passed a bill statewide programs, while would be inundated by evic- legal representation increase
resulted in about 3.7 million last year guaranteeing tenants others, including Chicago, tion cases. The program’s from 2% to 19% after the law
evictions a year — about sev- the right to counsel and the Philadelphia, San Francisco success has the court request- went into effect last year, said
en every minute — according state adopted a similar mea- and Pinellas County, Florida, ing $750,000 from the state all tenants who wanted rental
to the Eviction Lab at Princ- sure this year. The city also launched their own initia- to expand mediation efforts help have gotten it and 93%
eton University. Many are temporarily barred rent in- tives. Even states not usually statewide. who wanted to avert evic-
Black and Latino families. creases during the pandemic associated with evictions, like tions were successful.
and banned late fees. New Hampshire and Mon- “If we can get parties to-
“This is an opportunity not tana, offer programs. gether and either get the case A program in Michigan last
to go back to normal, because “The politicians saw the same resolved or get them to this year resulted in 97% of ten-
for so many renters around urgency we did,” she said. In Philadelphia, the City emergency funding, I’m say- ants remaining housed, ac-
the country, normal is bro- “It afforded the opportunity Council passed a series of ing it’s a win-win-win,” said cording to a study from the
ken,” Matthew Desmond, to have a conversation with bills last year that include David King, the administra- University of Michigan, the
author of a Pulitzer Prize- politicians about the very real requiring landlords to par- tive judge of New Hampshire state and Legal Services of
winning book on evictions problems around evictions, ticipate in a city eviction di- Circuit Court, which handles South Michigan.
and the principal investiga- the very real implications for version program if the tenant landlord-tenant matters.