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House Rules

Leah Cantor

March 03, 2021 |

Santa Fe Reporter |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Santa Fe, New Mexico

A shortage of available affordable housing in Santa Fe, New Mexico was exacerbated by inclusionary zoning laws that discouraged real estate development. Restrictions on new rental properties drastically increased rents due to a dearth of available housing and supply has increased as the law was reversed.

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‘Crime-Free' Housing Ordinances, Explained

Deborah N. Archer

February 17, 2021 |

The Appeal |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Starting in the early 1990s, thousands of American towns and cities passed "crime-free housing" ordinances that purport to reduce crime in rental housing. The laws encourage or require landlords to evict tenants based on calls to police, or the criminal records of tenants or their houseguests. The laws' lack of due process has turned them into a tool promoting segregation and retaliation against people of color. Frequently enacted in places that have begun to diversify racially, they give police too much power to declare certain residences a nuisance. Legal challenges have begun to curb some abuses.

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Support growing for ‘Pay to Stay' legislation to help curb some evictions

Conor Morris Taylor Haggerty

February 15, 2021 |

ideastream |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Toledo, Ohio

A 'pay to stay' law in Toledo and Yellow Springs, Ohio, is enabling renters to stay in their homes if they can cover any late rental payments in full. Current Ohio law allows a landlord to file for an eviction even if a tenant is just one day late on rent. The new legislation provides protection to tenants but the law differs from city to city. Housing advocates are pushing for the same law in Lakewood, South Euclid, and Cleveland Heights.

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Philadelphia's Eviction Diversion Program Extended After Showing Results

Jared Brey

December 22, 2020 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dozens of evictions have been prevented in Philadelphia through a program that calls for mediation between landlord and tenant. The Eviction Diversion Program requires that disputes be worked through before an eviction claim can be filed. The success of the temporary program has led to an extension until March and “the hope is that it will become the new normal.”

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Cleveland's historic Legal Aid Society surges with the pandemic

Grant Segall

December 01, 2020 |

The Land |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is helping low-income people facing legal hardships and civil issues obtain fair representation and access to services and aid. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the organization has struggled to keep pace with the need, but has still been able to provide services to nearly half of those who have requested and connect many of the others with partner organizations.

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‘It's a conversation': Philly's alternative to landlord-tenant court is preventing eviction

Taylor Allen

November 24, 2020 |

WHYY |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's mandatory Eviction Diversion program, started as a way to help landlords and tenants to cope with pandemic-related economic struggles, requires landlords to enter mediation with tenants who are behind on their rent. By skipping eviction court, the parties can work out repayment plans and tenants can gain access to rental-assistance programs. Mediated agreements avoid a legal judgment that would hurt a tenant's credit and make it difficult to find another place to live, while preventing evictions during the pandemic reduces homelessness.

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For families involved in Philly's child welfare system, this program is building a safety net

Steve Volk

November 12, 2020 |

Kensington Voice |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A pilot program within the child welfare system in Philadelphia is providing wraparound services for parents at risk of losing custody of their children. The multi-disciplinary services include an attorney, social workers, and a peer advocate in addition to services that help stabilize families such as housing, employment, and addiction treatment. Similar programs in New York City and Washington state show significant reductions of time spent by children in foster care and increased rates of reunification - saving money and reducing trauma.

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Door-to-door: Advocates canvass neighborhoods, informing tenants and trying to prevent evictions

Conor Morris

October 19, 2020 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are using door-to-door campaigns to inform tenants about their rights if facing an eviction. Although evidence is limited about the success in preventing the evictions, some tenants have expressed that the outreach has helped them feel heard and many are more likely to show up in court.

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New York City's Right to Counsel law helps stem the epidemic of evictions, and provides a blueprint for Milwaukee

James E. Causey

October 16, 2020 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York's Universal Access to Counsel Law gives tenants who are facing economic hardship a right to free legal advice which increases the chance of winning their case in housing court. Landlords typically have legal representation in court but the overwhelming majority of defendants do not - leaving them at a distinct disadvantage and more likely to experience housing instability. The NY law has been a model for several cities with high eviction rates and can also serve as a blueprint to decrease high eviction numbers in Milwaukee. Of the tenants who utilized the legal services, 84% kept their housing.

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Can't Pay Your Rent? ‘Lawtech' Is Here to Help.

Kriston Capps

September 18, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Soon after the federal government imposed a second moratorium on evictions, SixFifty, a tech firm, released Hello Landlord, a mobile app for tenants to generate a legally compliant form letter invoking the law with their landlords to block a threatened eviction. In the first nine days after its release, the app was used by more than 200 people. The free service is an example of what's called lawtech: technology giving access to legal information to individuals and small businesses. Hello Landlord asks 19 questions that serve to automate what a tenant's lawyer might do – if only the tenant could afford one.

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