In a first-of-its-kind action, the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $20 million in grants from its Eviction Protection Grant Program. These grants are being awarded to legal service providers to assist their efforts in providing legal assistance to low-income tenants at risk or subject to eviction.
HUD has selected ten organizations for this first award. Those organizations are -
- Advocates for Basic Legal Equality - Toledo, OH;
- Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation - Atlanta, GA;
- Community Legal Aid, Inc. - Worcester, MA;
- Connecticut Fair Housing Center - Hartford, CT;
- Idaho Legal Aid Services - Boise, ID;
- Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. - Jacksonville, FL;
- Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada - Las Vegas, NV;
- Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York - Albany, NY;
- Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc. - Geneva, NY; and
- Legal Services of Eastern Missouri - St. Louis, MO
Individual grants ranged from $1 million to $2.4 million.
This program was created due to studies that show a resident’s chance of being evicted is much greater if they lack legal representation. A study in Minnesota found that fully represented tenants win or settle cases 96% of the time and clients receiving limited representation win or settle their cases 83% of the time. Tenants without representation win or settle just 62% of the time.
Properties in the areas noted above should expect more eviction challenges in the months ahead.