HUD announced on May 9 that it would award $20 million in new grants for its Eviction Protection Grant Program, doubling the amount initially allocated for the program in November 2021. The Eviction Protection Grant Program helps experienced legal service providers across the country offer free legal assistance to low-income tenants facing eviction. The program is part of HUD’s continuing effort to support low-income renters recovering from the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HUD will provide grants to 11 new organizations – in addition to the 10 organizations selected in November 2021 – to support their efforts to expand eviction protection and diversion services for tenants at risk of eviction. HUD notes that legal services are essential for helping individuals and families – particularly people of color (who are disproportionately impacted by eviction), people with limited English proficiency, and people with disabilities – remain stably housed and for minimizing the damage caused by the eviction process.
The grants were awarded by HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research to legal service providers serving areas with high rates of evictions or prospective evictions, including rural areas. The first cohort of grantees funded by the program are implementing seven statewide programs (in Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, and Utah), two regional programs (in Northwestern Ohio and Western New York), and three local programs (in Albany, NY; Atlanta, GA; and Las Vegas, NV). The $20 million expansion of the Eviction Protection Grant Program will support additional statewide, regional, and local programs across the Northeastern, Southern, and Western United States.
Read a press release announcing the grant recipients at: https://bit.ly/37JURJu