The Movement That Is Upending Landlords’ Power Over Tenants There has been a ‘parabolic increase’ in cities and states giving tenants a right to counsel to help fight evictions. Abigail Savitch-Lew Jun 01, 2021
The Movement to Guarantee Legal Help for Struggling Renters Is ‘Taking Root’ in Connecticut Only 7 percent of tenants in the state have legal representation in eviction proceedings. A bill in the Connecticut house is trying to change that. Bryce Covert May 03, 2021
Maryland Could Be the First State to Provide Lawyers for Tenants Facing Eviction A bill passed by the state legislature, but yet to be enacted, would offer access to counsel for low-income renters. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 16, 2021
Denver City Council Members Propose a Way to Keep Tenants in Their Homes A new proposal would make Denver the latest major city to provide legal defense for residents facing evictions. Jerry Iannelli Apr 15, 2021
The Major Real Estate Donors Influencing the St. Louis Mayoral Race Days before the election, campaign finance reports show that real-estate and construction industries favor Cara Spencer over Tishaura Jones. Jerry Iannelli Apr 02, 2021
COVID-19 Is Still Here But Connecticut’s Sympathy for Hardest Hit Renters Has Run Out The governor has rolled back eviction protections for those struggling most to pay rent. Bryce Covert Mar 31, 2021
Seattle’s City Council Gives Poor Residents Right to Eviction Attorneys The city joins the national trend of guaranteeing counsel in eviction court, which data shows can save people’s homes. Jerry Iannelli Mar 29, 2021
New York City Considers A Bold Idea To Keep People From Being Pushed Out Of Their Homes Activists are calling for a number of new policies to expand the reach of community land trusts. Abigail Savitch-Lew
Federal Funding Charts the Path for Local Eviction Right-To-Counsel Efforts To all of the state lawmakers wondering how to fund legal representation for tenants facing evictions: follow the federal COVID-19 relief packages. John Pollock Mar 26, 2021
How Tenants’ Right to Counsel Can End Inequality in the Eviction System—and Save Lives Ensuring renters have representation in housing court would help close a “justice gap” and be a life-saving intervention for those at risk of losing their homes. Emily Benfer Mar 10, 2021
The Housing Justice Group Fighting to Put Power Back in Tenant Hands KC Tenants has secured passage of a tenant "bill of rights" and successfully blocked hundreds of evictions through civil action in the Kansas City, Missouri area. Bryce Covert Mar 04, 2021
The Future of Housing in St. Louis Hinges on the Mayoral Race Whether the city will do more to keep people in their homes or simply do more of the same depends on who voters elect as the next mayor. Meg O'Connor Mar 01, 2021
Most Tenants Facing Eviction Don’t Have a Right to an Attorney. Lawmakers Want to Change That Numerous city councils and state legislatures are debating giving renters a right to counsel, which can make the difference between stability and catastrophe. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Feb 18, 2021
Eviction Bans Saved Lives During The Pandemic, New Research Says Policies that helped keep people in their homes—and keep the utilities on—reduced COVID-19 deaths and infections. Joshua Vaughn Jan 28, 2021
A Judge Suspended Evictions in Kansas City. Advocates Say That’s Not Enough The order halts evictions in the city and surrounding area until Jan. 24, but a housing rights group says greater protections are needed for the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joshua Vaughn Jan 12, 2021
Cities Are Pressuring Landlords to Evict People Under ‘Crime-Free’ Housing Laws In Granite City, Illinois, landlords have been penalized for refusing to evict tenants who have criminal records or are simply living with someone who does. Cinnamon Janzer Jan 11, 2021
The Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped Landlords From Evicting Tenants—And It’s About To Get Much Worse Landlords have continued forcing renters out of their homes, despite a patchwork of protections from federal and local governments. Now, with the CDC moratorium set to expire on Dec. 31, millions of Americans could be evicted. Meg O'Connor Dec 18, 2020
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Is Fresh Off His Book Tour, But Activists Say He Doesn’t Live Up to His National Reputation Progressive lawmakers and activists say Cuomo has failed to adequately protect those who are out of work, at risk of losing their homes, or living behind bars, where the virus has spread rapidly. Tara Francis Chan, Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 19, 2020
In California Rent Control Battle, Controversies Swirl Around Funders on Both Sides Corporate backers of a group opposed to Proposition 21 don’t match the protective image it portrays. And a nonprofit that has contributed to supporters has been accused of financial improprieties. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 28, 2020
How Organizers Are Defending Against Evictions Amid a Pandemic Tenants rights groups in Brooklyn, Kansas City, New Orleans, and elsewhere are using physical blockades and direct action to keep people in their homes. Bryce Covert Oct 20, 2020
Tenant Organizers Are Running To Keep New Yorkers In Their Homes After defeating long-time incumbents in Democratic primaries, progressive candidates are championing cancelling rent and banning evictions. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 15, 2020
Philadelphia Housing Advocates Declare Victory After Monthslong Battle With City The city will give advocates 50 vacant homes to be used for permanent housing for low-income residents, according to a tentative agreement. Joshua Vaughn Sep 29, 2020
The Trump Administration Is Pushing To Make It Harder For Trans People To Seek Shelter During The Pandemic The Trump administration mishandled COVID-19, creating conditions that left transgender people even more vulnerable to housing instability than before. Now it’s pushing for a rule change that would allow homeless shelters to discriminate against trans people. Gillian Branstetter, Sarah Saadian Sep 17, 2020
Economic Insecurity Brought On By COVID-19 Threatens To Disenfranchise Millions Of Voters Between the global pandemic and a nationwide economic crisis, voting rights advocates see a ‘perfect storm of barriers’ ahead that could prevent millions of people from casting a ballot in November. Eoin Higgins Sep 03, 2020
President Trump’s Eviction Moratorium Falls Far Short Of Calls For Rent And Mortgage Cancellation Tenants and progressive leaders who cried out for a national action must now grapple with two truths: This eviction moratorium will save lives, but everything about it is a page out of Trump’s re-election playbook. Tara Raghuveer Sep 02, 2020
Corporate Landlords Have Gotten Government Aid. Tenants Haven’t. Some corporate landlords who received federal PPP loans are notorious for mistreating tenants. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Aug 13, 2020
As Eviction Cliff Looms, Calls To Cancel Rent Grow Housing rights activists in California are pushing for taxation of rich residents to help the hundreds of thousands of people who may be at risk of losing housing after COVID-19 eviction restrictions end. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jul 27, 2020
New York City’s Public Housing Rules Could Force Many Released Prisoners Into Homelessness As thousands of people are freed from local jails, a group of nonprofits and activist organizations says the city's housing authority must revamp its policies that banish the formerly incarcerated. Jerry Iannelli Jul 22, 2020
How The Largest Known Homeless Encampment In Minneapolis History Came To Be The frustrations of residents in the Powderhorn neighborhood, not far from where George Floyd was killed, have gotten some national coverage. But the homelessness crisis in the city isn’t new, and it could soon get worse. Rachel M. Cohen Jul 15, 2020
A National Evictions Cliff Is Coming. America’s Failing Legal System Will Make It Worse COVID-19 is disproportionately putting Black and Latinx people at higher risk of eviction, fueling a housing crisis that is already in progress. Jay Willis Jul 14, 2020
Will Maryland Lawmakers Come Back to Work? In a moment of crisis, the state Senate and House are slated to be in recess until January. Jay Willis Jul 10, 2020
West Virginia Cities Use Evictions To Combat The Opioid Epidemic The ‘drug house’ ordinances that force landlords to kick out tenants are mostly compounding the overdose crisis, critics say. Leora Smith Jun 09, 2020
California Tenants Will Go on a Rent Strike if the State Falls Short of Cancelling Rent Laid-off workers say they face insurmountable debt and homelessness if they have to pay back months of rent after the pandemic. Supriya Yelimeli Apr 30, 2020
Bay Area Residents Are Forming Tenants’ Unions in Response to COVID-19 As millions file for unemployment, tenants are banding together to support their neighbors who can't pay the rent. Zack Haber Apr 23, 2020
Tenants in Oakland Are Going on a Rent Strike Tomorrow Residents have been told to stay in their homes to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus—but little has been done to ensure they can afford to stay there, activists say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 31, 2020
To Stop the Spread of Coronavirus, California Officials and Attorneys Call for Eviction Bans Experts say evictions cause a ‘downward spiral’ of health problems for renters, and that housing security is necessary to slow the spread of the pandemic. Darwin BondGraham Mar 13, 2020
Women Describe How A Columbus Vice Cop Pressured Them to Trade Sex for Rent Andrew Mitchell, a former officer in Ohio who was recently indicted on charges he kidnapped women and forced them to have sex for their freedom, will soon face a grand jury for killing Donna Dalton during a prostitution arrest. Melissa Gira Grant Mar 28, 2019
