On June 23, 2021 Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rob Portman (R-OH), along with Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced the Eviction Crisis Act, which would create new tools to help end the nation’s continuing eviction epidemic. The new legislation will improve data to better understand the national eviction crisis and expand support for efforts that reduce preventable evictions and limit the devastation to families when eviction is unavoidable. Among various other promising provisions, the legislation includes the creation of an Emergency Assistance Fund that would provide direct financial assistance and stability services to help the lowest income households overcome an unforeseen economic shock (e.g., broken-down car, unreimbursed medical bill, etc.) that threatens their housing stability. The Emergency Assistance Fund is a permanent program – funded at $3 billion annually – to help stabilize households experiencing an economic shock before it causes instability and homelessness, which often require more prolonged, extensive, and expensive housing assistance. This policy solution is a key priority of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign.
THE OPPORTUNITY STARTS AT HOME CAMPAIGN CALLS ON CONGRESS TO ENACT THIS LEGISLATION QUICKLY.
The Eviction Crisis Act is an important and historic bipartisan effort to tackle the devastating impacts of evictions on individuals and families and create a foundation for cost-effective prevention in the future.
SEND THE LETTER BELOW TO YOUR elected officials URGING THEM TO SUPPORT THE EVICTION CRISIS ACT
BACKGROUND
Limited public resources, coupled with the growing costs of housing, has led to a crisis of evictions, homelessness and other types of housing instability, particularly for people with extremely low incomes. The COVID-19 economic recession and its resulting job and wage losses magnified and accelerated this existing crisis – at its peak in April 2020, the national unemployment rate hit 14.8%, with some industries reporting unemployment rates of almost 40%. More than 20 million renters lived in households that had experienced a COVID-19-related job loss, and Black, Latino, and Native renters were disproportionately impacted.
In 2016, over 2 million eviction filings were made in courthouses across the United States – that’s four every minute. One in 50 renters were evicted from their home in this year. The eviction epidemic coincides with an unprecedented housing affordability crisis, which most negatively impacts the lowest income people. Since 1960, renter’s incomes have risen by 5% while rents have risen by 61%. This housing affordability and stability crisis is crushing the economic security of households across the country and has led to the immense hardship of eviction for countless people. Moreover, it is placing enormous costs on the nation’s healthcare system, courts, schools, and local governments.
Most families in poverty who rent spend at least half of their incomes on housing, leaving virtually no margin for an unexpected expense. Broken-down cars, unreimbursed medical bills, or temporary declines of income can quickly send vulnerable households down the spiral of housing instability, eviction, and homelessness. If enacted, the legislation’s Emergency Assistance Fund could provide a blueprint for helping millions of low-income households that live on the edge of what they can afford.
The Eviction Crisis Act of 2021 will:
Improve Data and Analysis on Evictions
- Creates a national database to standardize data and track evictions, in order to better inform policy decisions.
- Establishes a Federal Advisory Committee on Eviction Research to make recommendations related to data collection, as well as policies and practices that can prevent evictions or mitigate their consequences.
- Allocates funding for a comprehensive study to track evictions, analyze landlord-tenant law, and assess varying factors in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
Reduce Preventable Evictions and Mitigate Eviction’s Consequences
Co-invest in state and local government programs:
- Creates a program to fund state and local governments expanding the use of landlord-tenant community courts and increasing the presence of social services representatives for tenants, which help both tenants and landlords avoid the high cost of eviction.
- Establishes an Emergency Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance as well as housing stability-related services to eviction-vulnerable tenants.
Support increased legal representation for tenants:
- Expresses support for substantially increasing funding for the Legal Services Corporation, a public-private partnership that provides legal services to low-income Americans.
Improve Information on Tenant Screening Reports
- Requires consumer reporting agencies to provide consumers with tenant screening reports when they are requested as part of a rental application process, so tenants can contest and correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- When a court rules in favor of a tenant in an eviction proceeding, requires those judgments and eviction filings related to that proceeding to be removed from tenant screening reports.
“Time and again I’ve heard from Coloradans about how one single event—an unexpected illness, a car accident, or a family emergency—can lead to their lives falling apart. Too often, these unavoidable circumstances can result in a family being evicted from their home and falling into a cycle of poverty that lasts for years,” said Bennet. “The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened this deep national crisis. The hardship caused by eviction is agonizing for the millions of American families evicted every year, and it’s past time for us to invest in comprehensive solutions to prevent avoidable evictions.”
“Stable housing is a vital part of getting people back on their feet. I’ve long worked on efforts to address homelessness and increase the supply of housing and I’m proud to partner with Senator Bennet on this bipartisan initiative. After dealing with extraordinary job losses throughout the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that legislation that can help prevent avoidable evictions and reduce homelessness is more important than ever,” said Senator Portman.
“Evictions start with the loss of a home and often end with job loss, depression, and becoming further ingrained in the cycle of poverty. Indiana is home to three cities with some of the highest eviction rates in the United States and this legislation takes a number of important steps to work with and support tenants, landlords, and municipalities to help avoid the process of putting another family on the street,” said Young.
“Home is the foundation of the rest of our lives: our family connections, our education, our work, and our health. The shortage of affordable housing and evictions tear at that foundation. And as we learned during the pandemic, the lack of a safe, stable home can even mean the difference between life and death. The Eviction Crisis Act will give our communities new tools to prevent evictions and support vulnerable households,” said Senator Brown.
TAKE ACTION!
Please send the letter below to your federal elected officials urging them to support the Eviction Crisis Act.
SEND THE CAMPAIGN’S LETTER TO CONGRESS
Dear Congress,
On June 23, 2021, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rob Portman (R-OH), along with Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced the Eviction Crisis Act, which would create new tools to help end the nation’s continuing eviction epidemic. The new legislation will improve data to better understand the national eviction crisis and expand support for efforts that reduce preventable evictions and limit the devastation to families when eviction is unavoidable. Among various other promising provisions, the legislation includes the creation of an Emergency Assistance Fund that would provide direct financial assistance and stability services to help the lowest income households overcome an unforeseen economic shock (e.g., broken-down car, unreimbursed medical bill, etc.) that threatens their housing stability.
The Opportunity Starts at Home campaign calls on Congress to support this legislation. The Eviction Crisis Act is an important and historic bipartisan effort to tackle the devastating impacts of evictions on individuals and families and create a foundation for effective prevention in the future.
In 2016, over 2 million eviction filings were made in courthouses across the United States – that’s four every minute. One in 50 renters were evicted from their home in this year. The eviction epidemic coincides with an unprecedented housing affordability crisis, which most negatively impacts the lowest income people. Since 1960, renter’s incomes have risen by 5% while rents have risen by 61%. This housing affordability and stability crisis is crushing the economic security of households across the country and has led to the immense hardship of eviction for countless. Moreover, it is placing enormous costs on the nation’s health care system, courts, schools, and local governments.
Most families in poverty who rent spend at least half of their incomes on housing, leaving virtually no margin for an unexpected expense. Broken-down cars, unreimbursed medical bills, or temporary declines of income can quickly send vulnerable households down the spiral of housing instability, eviction, and homelessness.
The Eviction Crisis Act of 2021 will:
Improve Data and Analysis on Evictions
- Creates a national database to standardize data and track evictions, in order to better inform policy decisions.
- Establishes a Federal Advisory Committee on Eviction Research to make recommendations related to data collection, as well as policies and practices that can prevent evictions or mitigate their consequences.
- Allocates funding for a comprehensive study to track evictions, analyze landlord-tenant law, and assess varying factors in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
Reduce Preventable Evictions and Mitigate Eviction’s Consequences
Co-invest in state and local government programs:
- Creates a program to fund state and local governments expanding the use of landlord-tenant community courts and increasing the presence of social services representatives for tenants, which help both tenants and landlords avoid the high cost of eviction.
- Establishes an Emergency Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance as well as housing stability-related services to eviction-vulnerable tenants.
Support increased legal representation for tenants:
- Expresses support for substantially increasing funding for the Legal Services Corporation, a public-private partnership that provides legal services to low-income Americans.
Improve Information on Tenant Screening Reports
- Requires consumer reporting agencies to provide consumers with tenant screening reports when they are requested as part of a rental application process, so tenants can contest and correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- When a court rules in favor of a tenant in an eviction proceeding, requires those judgments and eviction filings related to that proceeding to be removed from tenant screening reports.
For more information about the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign and its advocates, please see: www.opportunityhome.org
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