The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released on December 3 a new Spotlight on Eviction Prevention, focusing on strengthening eviction prevention efforts for renters as a part of USICH’s Homelessness Prevention Series. The USICH spotlight highlights how U.S. landlords pursue eviction on 3.6 million occasions in a typical year, which is largely the result of people’s inability to afford rising rent costs. According to a study of the 20 largest Continuums of Care (CoCs), more than 70% of extremely low-wage households spend more than half of their income on rent, and every $100 increase in median rent is associated with a 9% rise in homelessness.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, renter protections and resources were expanded through policies such as the “American Rescue Plan Act,” which provided emergency rental assistance and other essential programs to prevent millions of evictions, demonstrating how the implementation of a national eviction prevention program was possible and crucial to protecting low-income renters. However, those funds have run out, and local governments must build systems to prevent evictions and homelessness in their communities.
The USICH resource highlights state and local efforts to provide resources for people at risk of eviction and homelessness. Most local eviction prevention programs combine rental assistance with other necessary services, such as free legal aid services, case management, and landlord-tenant mediation, among other provisions. For example, Minnesota’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program combines supportive services and financial assistance to support people at imminent risk of homelessness; after the program’s intervention, 95% of the households served remained permanently housed. Tulsa, Oklahoma has a one-stop eviction-prevention center providing tenants and landlords information about rental assistance, legal aid, and homelessness resources, which led to 97% of the people served to exit temporary programs and achieve permanent housing during Fiscal Year 2023. Some other successful local initiatives that provide assistance and support to renters are in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Waterville (Maine), and San Diego County (California).
USICH’s All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness cites strategies and actions that prioritize homeless prevention. The Biden-Harris Administration has maximized existing federal housing assistance and expanded other programs to increase federal rental assistance. Some of examples include President Biden requesting Congress to invest $3 billion to promote and strengthen state and local eviction prevention efforts for renters, the White House releasing a Blueprint for a Renters’ Bill of Rights that includes accessible and affordable housing and establishes renters’ rights and protections, and the Treasury Department investing more than $46 billion in emergency rental assistance, among a multitude of other actions.
Read USICH’s Spotlight on Eviction Prevention at: https://tinyurl.com/mr2pk8rp
Read USICH’s federal homelessness prevention framework at: https://tinyurl.com/yx5t6pxp