Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the “Eviction Prevention Act” (H.R.6696, S.3463) in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, respectively, on December 11. The bill would authorize new grants to provide legal representation to tenants, create the country’s first federal evictions database, and mandate a government report on evictions in the U.S. The bill is endorsed by NLIHC, the National Housing Law Project, the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, and other national and state organizations.
Evictions have devastating impacts on tenants, including physical and mental health challenges, loss of possessions, and increased difficulty finding a new home. Despite the broad and lasting consequences of evictions, tenants rarely have access to legal representation during eviction proceedings, which dramatically reduces their odds of remaining in their homes. Legal support for tenants in eviction proceedings can help keep individuals and families housed, leading to improved outcomes for tenants, landlords, and communities.
The Eviction Prevention Act would provide federal support to connect low-income tenants with legal representation. The bill authorizes a new grant program for state and local governments to hire attorneys to represent renters with incomes below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level. The Eviction Prevention Act would also create a national evictions database to improve data on eviction cases and direct the Government Accountability Office to report on the limitations of the current legal system for tenants facing eviction, the representation rates of tenants and landlords, and potential cost savings for providing legal representation to tenants facing eviction.
“Even before the pandemic, millions of the lowest-income and most marginalized households were just one financial shock away from falling behind on their rent, losing their homes, and, in the worst cases, experiencing homelessness,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “Today, many of these same households are even more precariously housed. The long-standing eviction crisis – which predominantly harms Black women – underscores the need for both urgent action and long-term solutions, including the Eviction Prevention Act from Representative DeLauro and Senator Casey.”
Learn more about the Eviction Prevention Act at: http://tinyurl.com/enm5ahr9
Read the bill text at: http://tinyurl.com/8htxeav8