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ImageSource:EvictionPreventionProgram|VolunteersofAmerica
PreservingHome:ImprovingEvictionPreventioninHennepinCounty
Preparedby:RahimAghayev,JuyangFeng,andRoyceWiens
December12,2017
University of Minnesota - Humphrey School of Public Affairs
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PreservingHome:ImprovingEvictionPreventioninHennepinCounty
TableofContents1. ExecutiveSummary 32.Background/Contextualsetting 5
3.LiteratureReview 8
3.1Introduction 8
3.2Nationwideevictiontrends 9
3.3Whoisaffectedbyevictions? 10
3.4Evictionprocessproblems 11
3.5Potentialremedies 11
3.5.1Education 12
3.5.2EmergencyAssistance 12
3.5.3Legalaid 13
3.5.4Legislativechanges 13
3.5.5Increasingaffordablehousingandminimumwage 14
3.5.6Utilizingpreliminaryinjunctions 14
3.5.7Conclusion 15
4.Methodologyanddataanalysis 16
4.1Methodology 16
4.2Findings 17
4.3Tables 20
5.CasestudiesfromsuccessfulMetropolitanAreas 23
5.1Overview 23
5.2KeyfindingsfromOklahomaCity,Oklahoma 23
5.3KeyfindingsfromJacksonville,Florida 26
5.4KeyfindingsfromSeattle-Tacoma-Everett,Washington 29
5.5KeyfindingsfromSanAntonio,Texas 33
6.Policyrecommendations 36
Recommendation1:ProactivecommunicationtoHennepinCountytenants 36
Recommendation2:30-daynoticetotenantspriortoanevictionfiling 37
Recommendation3:Formacollaborativenetworkwithashareddatabase 38
Recommendation4:Launchmandatory“righttocounsel”program 39
Recommendation5:Provideaffordablehousingforalllow-incomeresidents 40
Takeawaysfromcasestudiesofthetop4metropolitanareas 41
7.Conclusion 44
8.References 45
9.Appendix 51
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1. ExecutiveSummary
TheHennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStabilityiscurrentlyfocusedonunderstanding
howevictionscanbepreventedandhowtheirimpactscanbemitigatedtocreatemorestable
communitieswithinHennepinCounty. Tounderstand the eviction issue fully, our literature
review examined the concept of eviction, nationwide eviction trends and possible solutions.
WethenexploredhowHennepinCounty’sevictionratecomparedtoothermajormetropolitan
areas in the United States as well as to the nation as a whole. Based on this analysis, we
selected the four (4)metropolitan areaswith the lowest eviction rates to domore in-depth
casestudies.Ourkey findingsare that theevictionrate for theMinneapolis-St.Paularea fell
below the national rate of .37% and it had the 9th lowest eviction rate out of the 25
metropolitanareasstudiedbythe2013AmericanHousingSurvey(AHS).
Based on our comprehensive data analysis and case studies, we recommend the
followingchanges:
● Recommendation 1: Improve early communications regarding eviction
preventionresourcestoallHennepinCountyrenters.
● Recommendation 2: Require a 30-day notice from the landlord prior to the
evictionfilingandreducethetimelineforprocessingEmergencyAssistance(EA)
requests.
● Recommendation 3: Form a collaborative assistance network with a shared
database.
● Recommendation 4: Provide legal representation to all low-income tenants
facingevictions.
● Recommendation5:Provideaffordablehousingforalllow-incomeresidents.
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Duetothelimitedavailabilityofdatathatareessentialtothisstudy,werecommend
moredata collectionon this topic in the future to facilitate a longitudinal analysis. We also
encourage a comprehensive pre-intervention and post-intervention analysis to better guide
futureinterventionsandpolicyrecommendations.
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2.Background/Contextualsetting
Evictionisoftendefinedasatenant’sinvoluntarydisplacementfromarentalproperty
byitslandlord.Commonreasonsforevictionincludenonpaymentofrent,violationoflease
agreement,violationoflaws,andforeclosureoftheproperty.Themostcommonreasonlocally
andnationallyisthetenant’snonpaymentofrent(AHSNationalData,2013;Minneapolis
InnovationTeam,2016).Whenatenantdoesnotpayrentbytheduedate,unlessthelease
providesotherwise,thelandlordcanlegallystarttheevictionaction(LandlordsandTenants:
RightsandResponsibilities,n.d.).BasedonthecurrentevictioncourttimelineinHennepin
County,itisfeasibleforthelandlordtoforcethetenantoutofthepropertywithinamonth.In
someareaswherethehousingcourts/civilcourtsaremore“efficient”,thisdurationcanbe
shortenedtotwoweeks.Whileinformalevictionsareillegalinmanyplaces,evictionsare
neverthelesstakingplacethroughbothaformalandinformalprocess.Aformalevictiontakes
placewhenalandlordlawfullyremovesthetenantfromthepropertybyfilinganeviction
throughthecourt.Aninformalevictionoccurswithoutacourtorderandthenumberof
informalevictionsmaybetwicethatofformalevictions(Desmond,2016).AreportfromNew
YorkCity’sIndependentBudgetOfficesuggeststhatevictionistheleadingreasonforfamilies
endingupinasheltersystem(Murphy,2014).Iftheydoendupinashelterorbecome
homeless,afamily’ssafetyandhealthcanbeatgreatriskandthegovernmentwillhaveto
spendmoremoneyonemergencyservices.Inthe“10YearPlantoEndHomelessness”,the
HennepinCountyandCityofMinneapolisCommissiontoEndHomelessnessestimatedthecost
ofoneepisodeoffamilyhomelessnesstobenearly$5,000whilepreventioncostslessthan
$1,000(2006).HennepinCountyandtheCityofMinneapolishaveincorporatedseveral
measurestohelpindividualsandfamiliesavoideviction.Nevertheless,evictionscontinueto
beaproblemandourteamhasbeenengagedtolookatstatisticsfortherestoftheUnited
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Statesinordertofindcommunitiesthathavebeenabletoachievealowevictionrateandthen
understandwhatcouldbelearnedfromthesecommunitiestofurtherreducethenumberof
evictionsinHennepinCounty.
HennepinCountycurrentlyhasaprogramtoprovideemergencyassistance(EA)to
householdsfacingeviction.However,accordingtotheexitsurveydoneoutsidethe4thDistrict
HousingCourt,67%ofthosesurveyedeitherneverappliedforEAorneverheardofit
(HennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStability,2017).AmongtheremainderwhohadusedEA
previously,only19%utilizedthisresourcefortheircurrentcase(HennepinCountyOfficeof
HousingStability,2017).Legalassistanceisalsoavailableatthe4thDistrictHousingCourt.
Yet,asourclienthaspointedout,tenantsoftendonotknowwhatisgoingonwhentheyenter
thecourtprocessandoftenactontheirownwithoutlegalassistance.Thesesituationsraise
thequestionofhowtenantsatriskcanbebetterinformedabouttheassistancethatisavailable
topreventaneviction.Althoughtherearegoodprogramsinplacewiththebestintentionsto
helpthevulnerablepopulation,onefocusofourresearchwillbetounderstandhowthese
servicescanbedeliveredmoreeffectivelytothepeoplewhoneedit.
AccordingtotheMinneapolisInnovationTeam,HennepinCountyhadover6,000
documentedevictioncasesfiledin2015(2016),halfofwhichwereinMinneapolis.The
evictionsdatashowageographicalconcentrationincertainzipcodeswithahighpercentage
comingfromasmallgroupoflandlords,raisingaconcernthatsomelandlordsareusing
evictionasawaytomakeaprofit.Thecurrentformalevictionprocessdemonstratesan
advantageforlandlords,astheyoftenappearincourtwithattorneyswhilethetenantsdonot.
AccordingtotheHennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStabilityexitsurvey,66%ofthetenants
surveyedhadnolegalassistance(2017).Basedonthesamesurvey,mostofthetenantsare
experiencingtheevictionprocessforthefirsttimewithlittleinformationonhowtohandlethe
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situation(2017).Whetherthejudicialprocessisresultinginmoreevictionsisalsoan
importanttopicthatwillbediscussedinthisreport.
AsDesmondpointsoutinhisarticle,“UnaffordableAmerica:Poverty,housing,and
eviction,”evictionhasbecomemorecommonplaceinlow-incomecommunities(2015).This
risingproblemrequiresaninformedresponsethatbetterunderstandsthenatureofthe
probleminordertodevelopaneffectivesolution.Whilethereiscurrentlylimitednational
dataavailable,thislimitationischangingwiththeadditionofquestionsfromtheMilwaukee
AreaRentersStudyintothebiennialCensusBureauhousingsurvey(Flowers,2016).Our
teamhasmadeuseofthenationaldatathatiscurrentlyavailableforthiscapstoneproject
alongwiththepreviouslymentioneddatafromHennepinCountyandMinneapolisforthesake
ofcomparisonandtounderstandwhatlessonscanbelearnedfromcommunitieswithlower
evictionrates.TheselessonswerereviewedalongsidecurrentpracticesinHennepinCounty
andMinneapolistoseewherepoliciesandprogramscouldbeimprovedinordertofurther
reducetheevictionrate.
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3.LiteratureReview
3.1Introduction
AlthoughevictionhasbeenaseriousproblemacrossAmerica,itisgenerallyagreedthat
thereisstilllimitedresearchavailableonthisenormousproblem(Greenberg,2016;Hartman
andRobinson,2003).Thereisanunderlyingneedtohaveanationaldatabasethatcollects
informationon“howmany,where,who,andwhathappenstoevictees”tobetterunderstand
thesourceoftheproblem(HartmanandRobinson,2003).Basedontherecentliterature,
evictionisprevalentamonglow-income,ethnicminoritycommunities,yetitremainsAmerica’s
“hiddenhousingproblem”(Desmond,2015;HartmanandRobinson,2003).AccordingtoDana
(2017),“evictionofthepoorisnotexceptional,butratherthenorm,partoflandlords’business
modelsandpoorpeople’swayoflife.”Conventionally,anexcessiverentburden,ahigherratio
betweenrentandincome,isusedasapredictorofhousinghardship(Phillippe,1999).Tothe
degreeitisknown,housingexpertsestimatemillionsoftenantsarebeingevictedfromtheir
homeseveryyear(Sullivan,2017).
Itisalsoagreedintheliteraturethatevictionsresultinamultitudeofnegativeimpacts
fortherenterswholosetheirhomeandforsocietyatlarge,themostextremeofwhichis
homelessness(Desmond,2015).AccordingtoHartmanandRobinson,thosenegativeimpacts
includementalhealthissues,worsehousingconditions,homelessness,jobloss,higher
housingscostsandhighlevelsofdissatisfaction(2003).Mostoftheseimpactsalsohavea
socialandfinancialimpactonthelargersociety.
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3.2Nationwideevictiontrends
Fromtheliteraturewehavereviewed,evictionisagrowingproblem.In2015,there
were2.7millionevictionsinAmerica,andthenumberofrentersspendingmorethan30%of
theirincomeonrentincreasedfrom14.8millionin2001to20.3millionin2015(Marr,2016).
Inrecentyears,therehasalsobeenanincreasingdisparitybetweentherisingcostofrentand
stagnationinpeople’sincome.From2001to2010,medianrentsincreasedbyapproximately
21percentintheMidwesternandWesternregionswhilehouseholdincomerosebetween6
and12percentinthesameperioddependingontheeducationleveloftheheadofthe
household(Desmond,2015).
Toestablishtherootoftheproblem,itisimportanttounderstandtheseevictiontrends
andthentounderstandwhatiscausingthem.Byunderstandingtherootoftheproblem,we
canthenfindsolutionsthatwillhaveapositiveimpact.Desmonddescribesthemainreasons
forevictionasbeingrisinghousingcosts,stagnantorfallingincomesamongthepoor,anda
shortfalloffederalhousingassistanceacrossAmerica(2015).However,Dana(2017)
contradictstheargumentbyDesmond.AccordingtoDana(2017),thehousingcrisishasbeen
causedprimarilyby“foreclosure—andnoteviction”thathasbeenasubjectofpublicdebatein
recentyears.Thefactthattheforeclosureproblemcouldbemitigatedwhen“pricesstabilized
andlendersadoptedstricterunderwriting,”meansthatthesametrendisnottrueinthecaseof
theevictioncrisis(Dana,2017).
Wefoundthatthereismoreagreementintheliteraturewiththeevictioncauses
proposedbyDesmond.Therent-to-householdincomeratioisimportantbecausethe
neighborhoodswiththehighestmedianrent-to-incomeratioshavehigherevictionratesthan
neighborhoodsthatspendlessonrent(Marr,2016).Morelocally,a2016studyonevictions
bytheMinneapolisInnovationTeamfoundthat“evictionsareamajorissuefacingrentersin
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lowincomeandminorityneighborhoods,”whichwouldsupporttheapparentcorrelation
mentionedabovebetweenhouseholdincomeandevictions.AccordingtotheHennepin
CountyHousingCourtexitsurvey,threequartersoftheevictionfilingsweredueto
nonpaymentofrent(HennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStability,2017).Theaveragerentasa
percentageoftheaverageincomewasnearly60%whilearobustpercentageshouldbehalfof
that.Halfofthesurveyedtenants’incomewasreportedtobeunder100%of2016Federal
PovertyLevel.
Lackoffinancesarenottheonlysourceofevictionsaccordingtotheliterature.
DesmondandGershensonhavefoundthatrenterswithmorechildren,renterswholosetheir
jobs,andrenterswithshortrentalhistoryorrecentevictionrecordsaremorelikelytobe
evicted(2017).Theyalsofoundthatthecrimerateisasignificantpredictorofeviction
(Desmond&Gershenson,2017).Whilegentrificationthatoftenleadstohigherhousingcosts
wouldseemtobeacauseofincreasingevictions,DesmondandGershensonfoundthat
gentrificationdoesnotsignificantlyaffecttheoddsofeviction(2017).
3.3Whoisaffectedbyevictions?
AccordingtoDesmond,AfricanAmericansinglemothersareparticularlyaffectedby
evictions-“ifincarcerationhasbecometypicalinthelivesofmenfromimpoverishedblack
neighborhoods,evictionhasbecometypicalinthelivesofwomenfromtheseneighborhoods”
(2015,p.98).The4thDistrictHousingCourtexitsurveyalsofoundthatamajorityoftenants
facingevictionswerewomenandamajorityidentifiedthemselvesasAfricanAmerican
(HennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStability,2017).TheresearchdonebytheMinneapolis
InnovationTeamreferencesDesmond’sresearch,butpointsoutthattheirstudydoesnot
accountforracebecausethisinformationwasnotavailablefromthecivilcourtdata.Whilethe
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Minneapolisreportdoesnotaddressrace,wewouldrecommendthatthisbestudiedfurtheras
morelongitudinaldatabecomesavailableinthefuture.
3.4Evictionprocessproblems
Studieshavealsoidentifieddiscriminationintheevictionprocess.Eventhough
nonpaymentofrentisnondiscriminatoryinnature,landlordshave“tremendousdiscretion
overevictiondecisions—discretionthatcanbeinformedbyconsciousorunconsciousbias
againstaprotectedgroup”(Greenberg,2016).Furthermore,governmentandnonprofit
organizationshavefoundthatbetweentheyears2004and2014,300,000housing
discriminationcomplaintswerereported(Greenberg,2016).Unfortunately,littleresearchhas
beenconductedtoidentifyandaddresstheproblemofdiscriminatoryevictionintherental
markettoensureallpeoplehaveequalaccesstoaffordablehousing.
Inadditiontolandlordbias,thetypicalevictionprocessappearstoincludeabias
againsttenants.AccordingtoLindsey(2010),thefirstpartoftheevictionprocessis
“deliberatelystreamlined,”whichcouldputtenantsatadisadvantagebymakingitdifficultfor
themtotakeadequatemeasurestoavoideviction.Forexample,whenatenantdoesnotshow
upforthecourthearing,thejudgeusuallymakesanimmediatedecisiontoevictthetenant
(Krent,2015).
3.5Potentialremedies
Whiletherearemanycomponentstotheevictionproblemandfurtherresearchand
dataareneededtounderstandthismorefully,severalremedieshavebeenrecommendedin
theliteratureandarediscussedbelow.Morestudyisneededtounderstandtheimpactof
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theseprograms,individuallyandcollectively,toinformfuturepolicychangesandtocreate
programsthatresultinstablehousingforeveryone.
3.5.1Education
Aswefoundintheliterature,thereareprogramsaroundtheUnitedStatesthatprovide
tenantworkshopsonhomelessnesspreventionandevictiondefense(HartmanandRobinson,
2003,p.484).Forexample,theEastBayCommunityLawCenterinBerkeley,CAandthe
OaklandEvictionDefenseCenterprovidetenantworkshopsandlegalassistancefor
homelessnesspreventionandevictiondefense(HartmanandRobinson,2003,p.484).
Likewise,ourcasestudyresearchfoundseveralhousingorganizationsthatwereutilizing
educationasapartoftheirremedy.Whilethisseemslikealogicalsolution,therearelimited
dataavailabletosupporttheclaimthatincreasededucationresultsinfewerevictions.Further
studyisneededtounderstandtheeffectivenessofeducation,includingthetypeofeducation
thatismosteffective-financialliteracy,tenantrights,etc.
3.5.2EmergencyAssistance
Becausegettingbehindonrentisamajorcauseofevictions,anaturalsolutionisto
provideemergencyassistancetohelptenantsmeetatemporaryshortfall(Hartmanand
Robinson,2003;Lindsey,2010;MinneapolisInnovationTeam,2016).Unfortunately,aswe
learnedfromourclient,thisaidarrivesafterthetenantinneedhasbeenevictedbecausethe
evictionprocessissostreamlined.Furtherstudyisneededonhowemergencyassistance
programscaneffectivelyprovidemonetaryassistanceinatimelymannersothatevictionscan
beavoided.
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3.5.3Legalaid
AccordingtoHartmanandRobinson,legalaidisprovidedinmosturbanareasandsome
ruralareasinall50statesandUSterritories.Unfortunately,thereisnotenoughassistanceto
goaroundandonlyasmallpercentageoflow-incometenantsarerepresentedbythislegalaid
(HartmanandRobinson,2003).Thereisevidencethattenantswithrepresentationfare
significantlybetter.Onestudyfoundthat90%ofrepresentedtenantsweresavedfromeviction
(HartmanandRobinson,2003).Lindseyconfirmsthis,notingthat“tenants’lackof
representationdirectlyaffectstheirabilitytobringacaseandarticulateavaliddefense”
(2010).Makinglegalrepresentationarighttoall,asitisinseveralEuropeancountries,would
helptenantsnavigatewhatistypicallyanunfamiliarandscaryprocess.Without
representation,tenantsaresubjecttoabiasforthelandlord(HartmanandRobinson,2003).
Whilemoredataareneededtosupportthecorrelationbetweenrepresentationandeviction
prevention,thestudieswefoundseemtosupportlegalaidasavaluabletoolinaddressingthe
evictionproblem.
3.5.4Legislativechanges
Thereareseverallegislativechangesthatcouldpotentiallyreduceevictionsincluding
rentcontrol,“justcause”restrictionsthatwouldonlyallowevictionsforcertainreasonslike
substanceabuse,“cleanhand”legislationthatdoesnotallowlandlordswithcodeviolationsto
fileevictions,andincreasesinrequirementsforevictionnotices(HartmanandRobinson,P.
488-490).Nodatawerefoundinourstudytosupporttheeffectivenessoftheseprogramsand
furtherstudyisneededtounderstandtheirimpacts.
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3.5.5Increasingaffordablehousingandminimumwage
HartmanandRobinsonstatethat,“themosteffectivewaytoavoidforcedevictions…
wouldbetoincreasethesupplyofdecent,modestlypricedunitsand/ortoincreasetenants’
incomesthroughsocialpoliciessuchashigherminimumwage,so-called“livingwage
ordinances,”andincreasedemploymentopportunities”(2003).AccordingtotheUrban
Institute,46affordablerentalunitswereavailableper100extremelylow-incomerenter
householdsnationwidein2014,whichincludesconsiderationforfederalassistance(Getsinger,
Posey,MacDonald,LeopoldandAbazajian,2017).Thismeansthatoverhalfoflow-income
Americansarenotabletofindaffordablehousing,evenwithfederalassistance.
Governments at all levels in the United States are spending a substantial amount of
money on housing programs (Olsen, 2003). Unfortunately, the data provided by Getsinger,
Posey,MacDonald,LeopoldandAbazajianmakeitclearthatallofthesefederalprogramsare
not keeping up with demand and a collective effort is needed to address the shortage of
affordable rental housing (2017). While more study is needed to measure the impact of
creatingmoreaffordableanddecenthousing, thiscertainlyseemstobean importantpartof
theoverallsolution.
3.5.6Utilizingpreliminaryinjunctions
Evictionscanbetheresultofaretaliatoryresponsebythelandlordtoatenantrequest
toaddresssuchissuesasahealthorsafetycodeviolation.Toaddressthis,Lindseysuggests
givingtenantstherighttofileatemporaryinjunctioninthesummaryevictioncourtagainstthe
landlord,whereevictionproceedingsusuallytakeplaceasaresultofafilingbythelandlord
(2010).Thetemporaryinjunctionprovidesthetenantmorecontrolandtimetopreparea
solidargumentand,thus,abetterchanceofsucceeding.Byusingtheexistingsummary
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evictioncourtsandbyprovidingaccessibleeducationontheprocess,Lindseyproposesthat
thisprocesscanbeaccessibletorenters(2010).Thissolutionhaspromise,buthasnotyet
beentested.
3.5.7Conclusion
TheproblemofevictionissignificantthroughoutAmericaandeventhoughitis
receivingmoreattentionandresearchinrecentyears,additionalresearchanddatagathering
areneededtofullyunderstandthecausesoftheevictionproblemandtheeffectivenessofthe
solutionsdiscussedabove.
Theliteraturereviewedindicatesthattherearepotentiallymultiplecontributorstothe
evictionproblemthatincluderisingrentalcosts;householdincomesthatarenotkeepingpace
withhousingcostincreases;race,genderandgeographicalbiases;aswellasproblemswiththe
legalprocessitself.Theliteraturealsoproposedavarietyofsolutionsthatincludetenant
education,emergencyassistance,legalaid,legislativechanges,increasingaffordablehousing
andtheminimumwage,andtheuseofpreliminaryinjunctions.Whiletheseproposed
remedieshavenotbeentestedfortheirimpact,wewilllookattheeffectivenessofthese
programsasapartofourcasestudiesofthemetropolitanareasintheUnitedStateswiththe
lowestevictionrates
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4.Methodologyanddataanalysis
4.1Methodology
Oneoftheprimarygoalsofthiscapstoneprojectwastoexaminenationwideeviction
dataanddatafromothermajormetropolitanareasaroundtheUnitedStatestounderstand
howHennepinCountyandMinneapoliscompare.Wethenwantedtoidentifythemetropolitan
areasthathadthelowestevictionratesinordertounderstandbestpracticesthatcouldassist
HennepinCountyinreducingthenumberofevictionseachyear.Ourteamcompleteda
thoroughsearchofpossibledatasourcesthatincludedthefollowingresources:
● AmericanHousingSurvey(AHS)
● AmericanCommunitySurvey(ACS)
● AffordableHousingDatafromtheUrbanInstitute
● ExitSurveyDatafromtheHennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStability
● Datafromthe“EvictionsinMinneapolis”Report
● TheU.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD)
● HousingCourtDatafromothermetropolitanareas
Fromthisresearch,onlytheAmericanHousingSurveyprovidedeasilyaccessibleand
usefuldataforthenationasawholeaswellasfor25uniquemetropolitanareas.Weanalyzed
evictiondatafromthe25metropolitanareasandcalculatedevictionratesbasedonthe
numberofrentalhouseholdsthatreceivedacourtorderedevictionnoticepertotalnumberof
renteroccupiedunits.Courtorderedevictionswerechoseninsteadofthreatenedevictions,as
thelatterdidnotalwaysresultincourtorderedevictions.Wehavenotincludeddatarelated
tohousingtype,raceorincomeinthisstudytolimitourfocus.Furtherstudyinthisarea
wouldbebeneficialtothebodyofresearchonevictionsinthefuture.
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Unfortunately,theAmericanHousingSurveydoesnothavedatapriortoorafter2013,
whichmakesitdifficulttodetermineanyevictionrelatedtrendsinthesemetropolitanareas.
Asmoredataaregatheredinthefuture,thesetrendsshouldbeexamined.TheAHSdataalso
donotincludeinformalevictions.BasedonastudyinMilwaukeefrom2009to2011,informal
evictionswerenearlyhalfofthetotalnumberofevictionsdocumented(Desmond,2015).
The2013AHSmetropolitanareadatadoincludetheMinneapolis-St.Paularea.Asa
crosscheck,wecomparedthe2013AHSdatatothe2013HennepinCountyandMinneapolis
evictiondataprovidedinthe“EvictionsinMinneapolis”Report(MinneapolisInnovationTeam,
2016).Wefoundthatthisdatadidappeartobeconsistentwiththe2013AHSdatafor
Minneapolis-St.Paul.
Finally,weevaluatedaffordablehousingdatafrom2014ofthe100largestcountiesto
comparewiththe2013evictiondata.ThesenationaldataarebasedondatafromtheUS
Census,theAmericanCommunitySurvey,theUniversityofMinnesotaPublicUseMicrodata
Series,rentalhousingdatafromtheUSDepartmentofHousing,andrentalhousingdatafrom
theUSDepartmentofAgriculture(Getsinger,Posey,MacDonald,LeopoldandAbazajian,2017).
4.2Findings
Ouranalysisofthe2013AmericanHousingSurveyDatafor25metropolitanareasin
Americashowedthatthefourmetropolitanareaswiththelowestpercentageofevictionswere
OklahomaCity,Oklahoma,Jacksonville,Florida,Seattle-Tacoma-Everett,Washington,andSan
Antonio,Texasinthatorderwithevictionratesrangingfrom0to0.14%forathree-month
period(Table1).
WeweresurprisedtoseezerocourtorderedevictionsforOklahomaCity,howeverthe
totalnumberof2,600threatenedevictionswereaccountedforinthenoresponseforreceiving
acourtorderedevictionnotice.TheareawiththehighestnumberofevictionsisBaltimore,
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MDat1.66%(Table1).Minneapolis-St.Paul,MNranksninthlowestinthislistwithjustunder
.24%ofallrenteroccupiedunitsreceivingcourtorderedevictions,whichisjustbelowthe
nationalaverageof.37%forcourtorderedevictionnotices(Table2).Itisworthnotingthat
therewere900courtorderedevictionnoticesforathree-monthperiodfortheMinneapolis-St.
PaulpertheAHSdata.Inthesameyear,the“EvictionsinMinneapolis”report(Minneapolis
InnovationTeam,2016)identified1,366evictionjudgementsinMinneapolisaloneforthe
sameyear,confirmingthatbothfiguresseemreasonable.Moreimportantly,itwillbehelpful
tohavelongitudinallocalandnationaldataforevictionstotrulyunderstandthetrendsand
anycorrelationsovertime.
ThedatagatheredbytheMinneapolisInnovationTeamdoprovideabrieflongitudinal
snapshotofwhatishappeninginMinneapolisandHennepinCounty.BasedontheMinneapolis
InnovationTeamstudy,filedevictionsinHennepinCountydeclinedfrom2009-2015–from
8,939in2009to6,061in2015(2016).However,thenumberofevictionjudgementsis
consistentlylessthan40%ofthosenumbers(MinneapolisInnovationTeam,2016).For
Minneapolis,4,135evictionswerefiledin2009whichdroppedsteadilyto3,140filedevictions
in2015(MinneapolisInnovationTeam,2016).Thepercentageofevictionfilingsthatendedup
inevictionjudgementsinMinneapolisalsostayedatorbelow40%between2009and2015
(MinneapolisInnovationTeam,2016).Whilethereissomeprogresshereinreducingthe
numberofevictionfilingsandjudgements,moreeffortisneededtounderstandtheeffective
solutionsthatwillbringsustainablereductionsinthenumberofpreventableevictionfilings
andjudgements.
Themetropolitanareaswithlowerevictionratesdoseemtobeperformingslightly
betterthanHennepinCountyintermsofhigherratesofavailable,affordableandaccessible
(AAA)housingper100extremelylowincome(ELI)renterhouseholds(householdsmaking
30%orlessoftheareamedianincome)basedondatafromtheUrbanInstitute(Table3).The
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fourmetropolitanareaswiththelowestevictionratesrankasfollowsfortheavailabilityof
AAAhousingbasedondatafromthe100largestcountiesintheUnitedStates(Table3):
● OklahomaCounty(whichincludesOklahomaCity,OK)-22ndwith45.3AAAunits
per100ELIrenterhouseholds.
● DuvalCounty(whichincludesJacksonville,FL)-26thwith42.1AAAunitsper100
ELIrenterhouseholds.
● BexarCounty(whichincludesSanAntonio,TX)-32ndwith40.8AAAunitsper100
ELIrenterhouseholds.
● SnohomishandKingCounties(whichincludesSeattleandEverettmetropolitan
areas)-38thand43ndwith40.2and39.5AAAunitsper100ELIrenter
households.
● Forcomparison,HennepinCountyranks40thwith40AAAunitsper100ELIrenter
households.
Itshouldbenotedthatthenumberofadequate,availableandaffordableunitsper100
ELIrenterhouseholdsconsidersfederalassistance.
Insummary,ourcomparisonofnationalevictiondatafoundthatwhilethereareother
metropolitanareaswithlowerevictionratesthantheMinneapolis-St.Paulmetropolitanarea,
theTwinCitiesisperformingslightlybetterthanthenationalaverage.Thecountieswiththe
bestperformingmetropolitanareasarealsoprovideslightlyhigherratesofavailable,
affordableandaccessiblehousing.Wehavealsoseenfromthatdatathattherearemanyother
metropolitanareaswithhigherevictionratesthantheTwinCities.Whilethisgood
performanceisencouraging,thefocusshouldbeonlearningfromthecommunitiesand
countiesthathavelowerratesofevictiontounderstandhowtheyareabletoachievethis.The
nextsectionofthisreportwilllookmorecloselyatthefourmetropolitanareaswiththelowest
evictionratestoseewhatlessonscanbelearnedfromthesecommunities.
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4.3Tables
Table#1EvictionRatesfrom25MetropolitanAreas
Metroarea Totalrenter-occupiedunits
Numberthreatenedwithevictionsinthelast3months
Numberwhoreceivedcourt
orderedevictionsinthelast3months
Percentage
OklahomaCity,OK 169,200 2,600 0 0%Jacksonville,FL 180,000 1,500 200 0.11%SanAntonio,TX 289,900 4,700 400 0.14%Seattle-Tacoma-Everett,WA 535,500 10,800 700 0.13%Austin-RoundRock,TX 290,500 3,600 400 0.14%Boston,MA 464,800 6,900 700 0.15%Richmond,VA 165,500 2,300 300 0.18%Orlando,FL 324,700 6,500 700 0.22%Minneapolis-St.Paul,MN 371,100 6,300 900 0.24%
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro,TN 212,500 5,300 600 0.28%LasVegas-Paradise,NV 318,100 6,200 1,000 0.31%Chicago,IL 1,045,000 15,200 3,900 0.37%Tampa-St.Petersburg,FL 365,100 9,300 1,400 0.38%
Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-Hollywood,FL 782,500 17,200 3,200 0.41%Hartford,CT 132,800 1,300 700 0.53%Tucson,AZ 140,400 4,400 800 0.57%Washington-Arlington,DC 761,300 16,000 5,100 0.67%Rochester,NY 123,000 4,200 900 0.73%Houston,TX 823,400 19,900 6,400 0.78%Philadelphia,PA 614,800 16,300 5,800 0.94%NewYork,NY 2,394,000 42,800 23,300 0.97%Detroit,MI 521,900 17,100 5,100 0.98%Louisville,KY 169,100 6,000 1,900 1.12%NorthernNewJersey,NJ 858,500 23,600 12,100 1.41%
Baltimore,MD 330,400 9,500 5,500 1.66%Source:2013AmericanHousingSurvey
21
Table#2EvictionRatefortheUnitedStates
USA-National Totalrenter-occupiedunits
Numberthreatenedwithevictionsinthelast3months
Numberwhoreceivedcourt
orderedevictionsinthelast3months
Percentage
40,201,000 704,000 148,000 0.37%
Source:2013AmericanHousingSurvey
22
Table#32014AffordableHousingData
Source:“TheHousingAffordabilityGapforExtremelyLow-IncomeRentersin2014”
23
5.CasestudiesfromsuccessfulMetropolitanAreas
5.1Overview
Ineachofthemetropolitanareasstudied,wefoundabroadrangeofprogramsprovided
bygovernmentandnonprofitorganizationsthatworktogethertohelprentersavoideviction.
Ineachoftheseareasthereweresimilarcomponentsthatincludedtemporaryfinancial
assistanceforrentandutilitiesfromgovernmentandfaithbasedorganizations,ahelplinefor
healthandhumanservicesthatincludedhousingrelatedadvice,legalaid,andavarietyof
servicescomingfromEmergencySolutionsGrants(ESG).Nooneorganizationorgovernment
entityhasthecapacitytoaddressthisproblemontheirown.Wewillnowlookatthefour(4)
metropolitanareaswiththelowestevictionratebasedonthe2013AHSdata.
5.2KeyfindingsfromOklahomaCity,Oklahoma
OklahomaCityhadthelowestevictionratewith0%.Basedontheinformation
reviewedforOklahomaCity,thereareavarietyofnonprofitorganizationsandgovernment
agenciesinplacethatareassistingresidentstopreventevictionsandcreateamorestable
future.Therearealsoveryaccessibleandpracticaltoolsinplace,includinga211helpline,that
helprenterstoquicklyfindresourcesintheirtimeofneed.Whilenodatawerefoundto
measuretheeffectivenessorimportanceofeachoralloftheseeffortsapartfromthe2013AHS
results,itappearsthatthecollectivewholeisimportantineffectivelyaddressingtheeviction
problem.WewillnowexaminetheprogramsOklahomaCityhasinplacetohelpkeeptheir
evictionratelow.organizedaccordingtoafewmajorcategories.
24
FinancialAssistance
Toaddresstheprimaryreasonforevictions,OklahomaCityhasseveralnonprofit
organizationsandgovernmentagenciesthatcanprovidefinancialassistance.Neighborhood
ServicesOrganization(NSO)isoneofthefaith-basednonprofitorganizationsthatprovides
financialeducationaswellasonemonth’srentforpeoplewhohaveexperiencedfinancial
crisis.Theyalsoprovidefirstmonth’srentforpeoplewhoaretransitioningtopermanent
housing.TheSalvationArmyinOklahomaCityalsoprovidesfinancialassistancebyhelping
renterswithutilitybillsandunpaidrent,servinghundredsofpeoplepermonthinthiscapacity
(OklahomaCityandCountyAssistancePrograms,n.d.).Thesamewebsitelistedatleast
fourteen(14)otherfaithbasedorganizationsinOklahomaCityorOklahomaCountythat
providefinancialassistancewithutilitiesorrentpayment.
Governmentagenciesarealsoplayinganimportantroleinprovidingfinancial
assistance.TheCommunityActionAgency(CAA)ofOklahomaCityandOklahomaCounty
offersprogramsthatincludemortgage/rentalpaymentassistanceforfamiliesthathave
experiencedafamilyemergencythataffectstheirabilitytopaythemonthlyrent;acrisis
interventionprogramthatprovidescashaidonalimitedbasistohelppayforprescriptions
andutilitypayments;andaprogramthatprovidesbuspasses,homelessprevention,Christmas
assistance,taxpreparationandotheraid(OklahomaCityandCountyAssistanceProgram,
n.d.).ThefocusofCAAistohelppeoplebecomeself-sufficientandfindlongtermstability
(OklahomaCityandCountyAssistanceProgram,n.d.).Thisgoaloflongtermself-sufficiency
shouldalsobeamajorgoalforanyHennepinCountyprogram.
ItisinterestingtonotethatCAApartnerswithlocalgovernmentonself-sufficiency
plans,whicharearequirementfortenantsapplyingforevictionpreventionhelp(Oklahoma
evictionpreventionprograms,n.d.).Thisisrequiredbecausefundingcomesfromthe
EmergencySolutionGrant(ESG)(Oklahomaevictionpreventionprograms,n.d.).The
25
OklahomaCountyDepartmentofHumanServices(DHS)isalsofocusedonhelpingfamilies
becomeself-sufficientoverthelongterm.Theirassistanceprogramsincluderentandutilities
assistance,foodstamps,homehealthcare,medicalservices,prescriptionassistance,and
transportationassistance,tonameafew.TheDepartmentofVeteransAffairsprovides
financialassistancetoveteransandtheirfamiliesbasedonone-timeemergencies.The
OklahomaCommunityHousingDepartmentreceivesfundingfromHUDforusesthatinclude
backrent.
TheHomelessnessPreventionandRapidRehousingprogramsarefederallyfundedbut
runbyseverallocalagencies(EvictionpreventionandrehousinginOklahomaCity,n.d.).Both
programsrequireformalapplications.Theseprogramsprovidepermanentsupportivehousing
forpeoplewhoaredisabledorhaveamentalillness;theyprovideEmergencyShelterGrants
forpreventingevictions;theyprovidehelpforpeoplewithHIVorAIDS;theyprovideeviction
preventionhelpforveterans;andtheyprovidetransitionalhousingforpeoplewhowere
unemployedandevicted(EvictionpreventionandrehousinginOklahomaCity,n.d.).
LegalAid
LegalAidofOklahomaprovideslegalassistanceforthosethatcannototherwiseafford
anattorney(OklahomaCityandCountyAssistanceProgram,n.d.).Thereareawidevarietyof
legalservicesprovidedthatincludesupportforevictionsandutilityservicedisconnections
(OklahomaCityandCountyAssistanceProgram,n.d.).
TheOklahomaIndianLegalServicesprovideslowincomeNativeAmericanswithfree
legalsupportforhousingandtenantissuesincludingevictionpreventionsupport(Oklahoma
CountyRentAssistancePrograms,n.d.).
Counseling
HeartLineprovidesinformationonhealthandhumanservicesincludinghousingwhich
isavailablebycalling211(HeartLine,n.d.).Accordingtotheirwebsite,theyassistover
26
200,000callersinOklahomaeachyear.Trainedstaffworkwithcallerstodevelopaconcrete
planwithresourcesthatwillhelpmeettheirneed(HeartLine,n.d.).Utilityassistanceand
housingaretwoofthetopneedstheyaddress.TheHomelessAlliancewebsitealsoreferences
theHeartLineserviceasawayforpeopletofindfinancialassistance,food,clothing,housing,
counseling,healthcareandmore.TheHomelessAllianceprovideshelpandguidancetopeople
atriskofeviction(OklahomaCountyRentAssistancePrograms,n.d.).
Theimpactofthisvastarrayofprogramstohelppeoplefacingevictionsisconvincing
basedonthe2013AHSdata.Unfortunately,thereisminimaldataavailableontheimpactof
eachprogram.Furtherstudyisneededtomeasuretheimpactofeachprogramaswellasthe
combinedimpact.Manyofthewebsiteswevisitednotedthatlimitedfundswereavailable,
whichmakesitclearthattheircombinedeffortisneededtoachievetheresultsfoundinthe
2013AHSdata.
5.3KeyfindingsfromJacksonville,Florida
Basedonthe2013AHSData,theJacksonville,Floridametropolitanareahadthesecond
lowestevictionrateamongthe25metropolitanareassurveyed.Outof180,000renter-
occupiedunits,only200receivedcourt-orderedevictionnoticesinathree(3)monthperiod.
WewillnowexaminetheprogramsJacksonvillehasinplacetohelpkeeptheirevictionrate
low,organizedaccordingtoafewmajorcategories.
Rehousingassistance
Householdsfacingevictionsfromtheirapartmentscangetassistancefromseveral
DuvalCountyprograms.Theseprogramsarepartoftheirhomelesspreventionservices.Since
thefederalfundingislimited,priorityisgiventocertaingroups.Thetargetpopulationsare
Jacksonvilleresidentsandpeopleacrossthecountythatarethemostlikelytobeevictedfrom
27
theircurrentplacesofresidence.Renterswhohavefirstpriorityforrehousingassistance
includehouseholdswhohavesuccessfullycompletedtransitionalprograms,victimsof
domesticviolence(whoarealsoeligibleforfreelegalhousingaidandgrantsforrentals),
householdswithchildrenwhocannotaffordhousingontheirown,applicantswithareferral
fromtheDepartmentofChildrenandFamilies,andthosewhohavereceivedcashaidfrom
TemporaryAssistanceforNeedyFamilies(TANF)(DuvalCountyevictionandrehousing
assistance,n.d.).Thestrategytoidentifythemostvulnerablepopulationforevictionswouldbe
applicabletoHennepinCounty.
ContinuumofCareaffiliatedagenciesinDuvalCounty
AcrossJacksonville,Florida,therearevarietyofnonprofitorganizationsandagencies
thatarehelpingresidentstostayintheircurrenthousingandhelpingthehomelesstomove
intostablehomes.Financialaidfromnonprofitsfundedbyemergencysolutiongrants(ESG)or
limitedgrantsfromHUDisprovidedtopotentialevicteeswhenmoneyisthekeyfactorto
preventaneviction.Whenfinancialaidislimitedornotavailable,otherservicesareavailable
toaddressevictions.Casemanagersorlawyersfromnonprofitorganizationscanstepinto
negotiatepaymentswithlandlordsorcallonutilitycompaniestoenrollthetenantsintoa
paymentplan.Temporaryhousingincludingshelters,transitionalhousingorhomelesscenters
arealsoofferedtokeepevicteesfromhomelessness.ESGalsoprovidesassistancetohelp
strugglingtenantsmovefromamoreexpensiveapartmenttoalessexpensiveapartment.This
resettlementserviceisprovidedtotenantsfacedwiththethreatofevictionsduetochanged
circumstancesthathaveresultedinthelackoffundstobeabletopaytheirrent(DuvalCounty
evictionandrehousingassistance,n.d.).
28
EmergencyAssistanceProgram
TheSocialServicesDivisionoftheCityofJacksonvillehasanEmergencyAssistance
programtoservicehouseholdsfacingfinancialdifficultiesbecauseofanunexpected
emergency.Theprogramprovidestemporaryfinancialassistancetopreventevictiondueto
non-paymentofrent.Specificguidelinesandpoliciesareusedtodetermineeligibility,levelof
financialassistanceandotherneededresources.Rent,mortgageandutilitypaymentsare
madedirectlytotheproviderforaperiodoftimespecifiedbypolicy.Trainedstaffare
availableonadailybasistoprovidetemporaryfinancialinterventionandbasiccase
managementservicesinordertohelpstabilizethehousehold'soverallwell-being.
Additionally,two-hourbudgetingandmoneymanagementworkshopsareanintegralpartof
theirfinancialinterventionandcaseplan.Individualsorfamiliescanaccessthisserviceby
makinganappointmentbytelephoneandindividualsorfamilieswithcourt-orderedeviction
noticesaregivenfirstpriorityforthisservice.
HousingAuthorityStructure
FewmetropolitanregionsintheU.S.areadministeredbyasingleregionalhousing
authority.However,thecityofJacksonvillehasannexedmostofthejurisdictionsthatmakeup
itsmetropolitanareasothattheJacksonvilleHousingAuthority’sservicescovermostofthe
region(Katz&Turner,2001).TheSection8programisadministeredbyasingleregionaloffice
andhouseholdslivinganywhereintheregioncanapplytooneagency(Katz&Turner,2001).
Thisstructurefunctionsmoreefficientlyconsideringtheregionalagencycanallocateits
housingresourceswithinthemetropolitanarea.
29
5.4KeyfindingsfromSeattle-Tacoma-Everett,Washington
With700courtorderedevictionsinathree-monthperiodoutof535,500renter
occupiedunitsin2013,theSeattle-Tacoma-EverettmetropolitanareainWashingtonState
hadthethirdlowestevictionrate(2013AmericanHousingSurvey).93.5%ofthethreatened
evictionswereresolvedbeforetheybecamecourtorderedevictions(2013AmericanHousing
Survey).Liketheothermetropolitanareasthatareperformingwell,thereareavarietyof
organizationsthatareanimportantpartoftheresponse.Wewillnowexaminetheprograms
thattheSeattle-Tacoma-Everettmetropolitanareahasinplacetohelpkeeptheirevictionrate
low,organizedaccordingtoafewmajorcategories.
FinancialAssistance
2013AHSdataindicatethat79%oftheevictionthreatsintheSeattle-Tacoma-Everett
metropolitanareawereduetofailureorinabilitytopayrent(2013AmericanHousingSurvey).
Toaddressthisproblem,therearehundredsofnonprofitsandcharitieswhichofferfinancial
assistanceinSeattle-Tacoma-Everettmetropolitanarea–mainlyshort-termfinancial
assistance(McNamara, n.d.).
Incollaborationwiththestate,theseorganizationsaimtopreventhomelessnessby
helpingtenantswhoareunabletopaytheirrent.Governmentgrantsandprivatedonationsare
fundingfinancialaidthathelpsresidentspaytheirenergybillsorrentwhentenantsareatrisk
ofbeingevicted(McNamara, n.d.).
Liketheothermetropolitanareaswithlowevictionsrates,theSeattle-Tacoma-Everett
metropolitanareareliesonEmergencySolutionGrants(ESG).ESGprogramsaimtoassist
residentsfacinghousingcrisisorhomelessnessandofferfinancialassistancetocoveraportion
oftherentonthenewhome,relocationcosts,orsecuritydeposits(Emergency Solutions Grant,
n.d.).ESGprogramsalsoprovidefinancialassistancetopayforutilitiesandothercostswhen
30
tenantsareinimminentdangerofbeingevictedfromtheirhomes.Additionally,ESGarealso
beingusedtoissueloansforfamilies’rentalneedswhenfacingevictionthreats.(McNamara,
n.d.).
TheEconomicServicesAdministrationoftheWashingtonStateDepartmentofSocial
andHealthservicesalsooffersemergencyprogramsforresidentswhoareatriskofbeing
evicted.Iffamiliesareinanemergencysituationthatrequiresaone-timecashpaymentto
securepaymentforutilitiesandhousing,theymightbeeligiblefortheAdditional
RequirementsforEmergentNeeds(AREN)programortheDiversionProgram(Emergency
Programs). However,itisnoteworthytomentionthatthefamilieswhoreceivehelpfromAREN
orDiversionCashAssistance(DCA)cannotapplyforTemporaryAssistancetoNeedyFamilies
(TANF)(OfficeofFamilyAssistance,n.d.).ThemaximumcashassistancefromDCAis$1,250a
yearandresidentscanreceivetheassistanceona30-dayperiodonly(OfficeofFamily
Assistance,n.d.).
RehousingPrograms
Anumberofnonprofitagenciesprovidetemporaryshelter,emergencyshelter,
transitionalhousingorlow-incomehomeownershipprogramsincludingBreadofLifeMission,
andCompassHousingAlliance(CompassHousingAlliance,n.d.).PlymouthHousingGroupand
SolidGroupprovidetransitionalhousing.LowIncomeConstituteandCapitolHillHousing
providelow-incomerentals.HabitatforHumanityofSeattle/SouthKingCounty,Homesight,
andtheHomesteadCommunityTrustprovideLow-incomehomeownership(CompassHousing
Alliance,n.d.).
LegalAssistance
Thereisacomprehensivepackageoflegalservicesofferedbylocalgovernment
agenciesandnonprofitorganizationsinSeattle.TheHousingJusticeProject(HJP)isacounty
31
levelhomelessnesspreventionprogramofferingaccessiblevolunteer-basedlegalassistance
forlow-incometenantsfacingeviction.Theirservicesincludelegalservicesforresidentswith
evictionrelatedissues,assistanceinansweringevictionpaperwork,negotiationswith
landlordsforevictionissues,representationoftenantsatevictionhearings,referralsand
resourceinformation(KingCountyBarAssociation,n.d.).TheSeattleareahasseveralhotlines
availabletoassisttenantswithlegalissuesincludingtheSolidGroundTenantServicehotline
andtheTenant’sUnionofWashingtonStateTenant’sRightshotlineforlandlordtenantissues;
theSeattleOfficeforCivilRightshotlineforfairhousinglawandcivilrightsissues;andtheCity
ofSeattleDepartmentofPlanningandDevelopmentcomplainthotlineforleaseterminations
orevictionnoticesthatmightbeinvalid(SeattleHousingAuthority,n.d.).Ifboththetenantand
landlordagreetoparticipate,freemediationservicesarealsoavailablethroughtheKing
CountyDisputeResolutionCenter,whereprofessionalmediatorsareavailabletohelp(Dispute
ResolutionCenterofKingCounty,n.d.).Thereareadditionalgenerallegalresourcesthatare
availabletoresidentsthatincludetheLawLibraryandtheNorthwestJusticeProject,which
offerslegalservicestolow-incomepeopleinthestateofWashington.
Counseling
CatholicCharitiesservicesinKingCountyprovidesresourcereferraltohelppeopleget
connectedtotheresourcestheyneed(CatholicCommunityServices,n.d.).CaseManagementis
providedbyseveralorganizationsincludingSt.VincentdePaulFinancial.Theseorganizations
seektounderstandeachperson’sneedsandestablishaholisticplantohelpleadthemtoself-
sufficiency(Washingtonhomelessassistanceandevictionpreventionprograms,n.d.;St.
VincentdePaul,n.d.).Thiscounselingcanleadtoreferralstoone-stopjobcentersorany
numberofWashingtoneducationalandemploymentresourcecenters(Washingtonhomeless
assistanceandevictionpreventionprograms,n.d.).Self-sufficiencyworkshopsarealso
32
availableasapartofSt.VincentdePaul’srehousingprograms.Thisprogramaimstoensure
thatpeopleorfamiliesdonotgothroughevictionsagain.
KingCountyalsohasa211-crisisphonelinethatisavailableforavarietyofneeds
includinghousing(CrisisClinic,n.d.).TheCrisisClinichotlineprovidesthemost
comprehensiveinformationonhealthandhumanservicesforKingCounty(CrisisClinic,n.d.).
Asapartoftheircounseling,theyadvisecallersonthebestwaytopresenttheirinformationto
theagenciesthatmaybeabletoassistthem.Intheeventthattherearenoresourcesavailable
forthecaller’sneed,theywillproblemsolvewiththecaller(CrisisClinic,n.d.).Theyspecialize
inseveralareasincludingshelter,housing,rentandutilityassistance,legalassistance,financial
assistance,andgovernmentalassistanceprograms(CrisisClinic,n.d.).In2012TheCrisisClinic
received105,000calls.However,thevideoontheirwebsitealsoemphasizedthatmanypeople
werenotawareofthisresource.Thisseemslikeasolutionthatwouldhavegreatpotentialfor
HennepinCountybygivingeasyaccesstoimportantresourceinformationquickly,butwewill
needtoconsiderhowtomakethecommunityawareofthisresource.
Finally,theTenantUnionofWashingtonStatehasputtogetherahelpfulresourceon
theirwebsitethatprovidespracticalinformationtohelptenantsdealwithapotentialeviction.
Forexample,thefirstrecommendationisfortenantstocontacttheirlandlordandworkouta
paymentplan,evenifitinvolvespartialpayments,untiltherentispaidinfull.Thiskindof
informationcouldbeusefulforrentersinHennepinCountyprovidedtheyhaveaccesstoa
computer.
Togethertheseinterventionsthatincludefinancialassistancetorenters,rehousing
programs,legalassistance,andcounselingarehelpingtomakeadifferenceintheSeattle-
Tacoma-Everettareaandshouldbestudiedfurthertounderstandtheirindividualand
collectiveeffectivenesstoguideprogramandpolicychangeslocallyandforothermetropolitan
areasacrosstheUnitedStatesincludingHennepinCounty.
33
5.5KeyfindingsfromSanAntonio,Texas
The2013AmericanHousingSurvey(AHS)dataformetropolitanareasintheUnited
StatesshowthatSanAntonio,Texasboaststhe4thlowestevictionrateoutofthe25
metropolitanareasthatwerestudied(2013AmericanHousingSurvey).IntheSanAntonio
metropolitanarea,400units(.14%ofthe289,900totalunits)receivedcourtorderedeviction
noticesina3-monthperiod.Although4,700unitswerethreatenedwithevictionnotices,less
than10percent(400units)wereactuallyevictedbyacourtorderednotice(2013American
HousingSurvey).Thereareseveralfactorsthatmayhavecontributedtolowertheevictions
rateinSanAntonio.WewillnowexaminetheprogramsthatSanAntoniohasinplacetohelp
keeptheirevictionratelow,organizedaccordingtoafewmajorcategories.
Rentpaymentassistance
Therearegovernmentandnonprofitorganizationsthatarecollaboratingtohelp
individualsandfamilieswithrentassistancetoavoidevictionandpotentialhomelessness.
TheDepartmentofHumanServicesforthecityofSanAntonioprovidesrentassistance
tofamiliesthathavereceivedafinalevictionnotice(HumanServices,n.d.).ThecityofSan
Antonioalsocollaborateswithotheragenciestopreventevictionsandrehousepeoplewhoare
alreadyhomeless.TheSouthAlamoRegionalAlliancetoEndHomelessnessContinuumofCare
isanetworkoforganizationsthathelptenantswhostrugglewithhousingissues.Assistanceis
providedforwomenorchildrenfleeingdomesticviolence,veterans,familiesfacingaone-time
rentalcrisis,andsinglemothers.Resourcesarealsoavailableforpeopleinothercategories
whofaceapotentialeviction,butthisisnotguaranteed(McNamara,J.n.d.).
HUDprovidessomefinancialaidthatisallocatedannuallytoSanAntoniofromthe
EmergencySolutionsGrant(ESG)program(EmergencySolutionsGrant,n.d.).TheESG
identifiesshelteredandunshelteredhomelesspersonsalongwiththoseatriskof
homelessnessandoffersindividualsassistancetoregainpermanenthousingafterahousing
34
crisis(EmergencySolutionsGrant,n.d.).ESG’sprimaryfocusisonaddressingemergency
situationssuchasamissedpaymentforrentresultingfromamajorlifeeventlikeamedical
emergency(McNamara,J.n.d.).TheCityofSanAntonioalsooffersfederallysubsidizedRental
AssistanceProgramsaswellasemergencyfinancialassistancetolow-incomeindividualsin
need(SanAntonio,TexasRentAssistanceAgencies,n.d.).
Nonprofitorganizations,especiallyfaith-basedorganizations,alsoofferrental
assistanceprograms.Faith-basedorganizationsincludingSalvationArmy,CatholicCharities,
SAMMinistriesandmanyothersproviderentassistancetoindividualsandfamilies(San
Antonio,TexasRentAssistanceAgencies,n.d.).Forexample,SAMMinistries’Homeless
PreventionServices(HPS)providespeopleinneedwithrentalandutilitiesassistance,whichis
paiddirectlytothelandlordorutilitycompany(SAMMinisitries,n.d.).
Emergencyfinancialassistance
CatholicCharitiesprovidesemergencyfinancialassistancetotenantswhohave
experiencedrecentfinancialdifficultiesandareindangerofbeingevictedfromtheirhomes.
Emergencyfinancialassistancecanbeusedtocoverrentorutilitybillswhenindividualsareat
seriousriskofbeingevictedfromtheirhomes(CatholicCharitieshelpsSanAntoniotenants
withrent,2013).
Evictionpreventionprogram
Inadditiontotheworkbeingdonebygovernmentagenciesandfaith-based
organizations,communityhousingorganizationsalsoassisttheresidentsofSanAntonioby
offeringevictionpreventionprograms.Toaddresstheprimaryproblemofnon-paymentof
rent,theAlamoCommunityGroup’s(ACG)EvictionPreventionProgram(EPP)offers
individualseffectivestrategiestoaddresstheissuesthatmightleadtotheirinabilitytopay
rent.Suchissuescouldincludeseparation/divorce,mismanagementofincome,orlossof
employment.ACG’smainfocusistoassistresidentswhowouldotherwiseendupbeingevicted
35
orbecomehomeless(EvictionPreventionProgram,n.d.).TheEPPhelpsresidentsin
developingarealisticplanwithpropertymanagerstoensurepaymentofrent.Iftheresidents
complywiththeproposedplan,theirlatefeesarewaivedandtheevictionprocessisstopped.
Residentswhowouldliketoparticipateinthisprogramarerequiredtoattendthreeoftheten
financialliteracyclassesofferedbytheprogram(EvictionPreventionProgram,n.d.).
Liketheothermetropolitanareaswithlowevictionrates,SanAntonioisaddressingthe
evictionissueinacollaborativewaythatismakingadifference.Furtherresearchisneededto
determinetheaccessibilityandimpactoftheirprogramsindividuallyandcollectively.Wewill
looknextathowthelessonslearnedfromthesefourmetropolitanareasmightbeappliedin
HennepinCountytoaddresspreventableevictionsinordertocreatelong-termhousing
stability.
36
6.Policyrecommendations
Recommendation1:ProactiveCommunicationtoHennepinCountyTenants
Fromourcasestudyanalysis,wefoundthatthesuccessofthehighperforming
metropolitanareaswasdependentonavarietyofservicesofferedbyabroadrangeof
nonprofitorganizationsandgovernmentagencies.Inoursubsequentreviewofeviction
preventionprogramsinHennepincounty,wealsofoundthatthereisalargenumberof
nonprofitorganizationsandgovernmentagencieswhoareassistingpeoplefacinganeviction.
AppendixAincludesatablethatsummarizestheselocalprogramsandprovides
recommendationsbasedonwhatwelearnedfromothermetropolitanareasintheUnited
Stateswithlowevictionrates.However,inorderfortheseorganizationsandagenciestobe
usefultoindividualsandfamiliesfacingevictions,theyneedtobeawarethattheseprograms
existandtheprogramsneedtoengagethepeople.The4thDistrictHousingCourtexitsurvey
alsoclearlyidentifiedthattenantsfacingacourtorderedevictionwerenotwellinformed
abouttheevictionprocess(HennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStability,2017).Toaddress
this,ourfirstrecommendationistoassurethatallrentersareawareofalloftheresourcesthat
areavailableinassistingthemtopreventanevictionbyrequiringlandlordstoshareaconcise
evictionpreventionresourceguideforeachtenantwhentheysigntheirlease.Theintent
wouldbeforthistobeupdatedandmaintainedbythenetworkofevictionprevention
organizationsthatwillbedescribedfurtherinthethirdrecommendation.Werecommendthat
thissameinformationgooutasapartofthelandlordnotificationthatwouldbesenttotenants
30daysinadvanceoftheevictionfiling.Thiswillbediscussedfurtherinthesecond
recommendation.
37
Totesttheeffectivenessofthisoutreachprogram,werecommendapilotprogramthat
targetsareasinHennepinCountywiththehighestnumberofevictions.Thispilotproject
shouldincludeimpactmeasurement,keepingallotherforcesconstantasmuchaspossible.
Theintentofthisrecommendationistohelptenantsbeinformedsothattheycangetthe
properassistancewhenitisneeded.Whilethereisacosttodothis,ourhopeisthatthiswill
beoffsetbycostreductionsrelatedtofewerevictionsandfewerpeopleusingshelters.By
gettingresourceinformationtotenantssooner,manywillbeabletoaddresstheproblem
beforeitgoestohousingcourt.Byhelpingtoreducethenumberofevictions,webelievethat
thelandlord'scostswillbereducedbecauseofreducedlegalfees.Ofallofthe
recommendationspresentedhere,thiswouldappeartobethequickesttoimplementasitis
mainlyamatterofgatheringinformationonexistingresources.
Recommendation2:30-daynoticetotenantspriortoanevictionfiling
Toprovideadequatetimefortenantstoaddresstheconcernthatcouldleadtoeviction,
whichisprimarilylaterent,oursecondrecommendationistorequirea30-daynoticefromthe
landlordandtoreducetheresponsetimeoftheHennepinCountyEmergencyAssistance
programfrom30daysto15dayssothatunnecessaryevictionfilingscanbeavoided.This
couldbeachievedthrougha30daypayorquitnoticewhichwouldbeissuedbythelandlord
statingtheamountofrentdueandprovidingthetenant30daystopaytherentdue.HOME
Linepreviouslyadvocatedaseven(7)daypayorquitnoticeseveralyearsagointheMinnesota
Legislature(E.Hauge,personalcommunication,November13,2015).Intheirbriefonthisbill,
HOMELineidentifiedthatmostlandlordsalreadyobserveaninformalquitorpaynotice
becauseitavoidsthecostsrelatedtoanevictioncourtcase(Hauge,n.d.).Thisbriefalsocites
someimportantbenefitsincluding:
● Cleartimelineforbothsidestounderstandtheirrights(Hauge,n.d.).
38
● Tenantscanaddressproblemwithoutadditionalcostsornegativerentalhistory
impacts(Hauge,n.d.).
● Reducednumberofcourtcases,thusreducingstrainoncourts(Hauge,n.d.).
● CoordinateswithEAprogramviaaformalnoticeforEAeligibility.By
addressingtheproblembeforeitgoestocourt,theEAcostsarealsoreducedso
thattheycanhelpmorepeople(Hauge,n.d.).
Itiscriticalthatresourcesareavailableinatimelymannerfortenantswhoare
otherwisefaithfulinfulfillingtheirresponsibilities.AccordingtotheHennepinCounty
EmergencyAssistancewebsite,applicantscanexpectthatitwilltakeupto30daystoreceivea
responseregardingeligibility.Bythetimethisassistanceisreceived,itcanbetoolateasa
majorityofevictionsareprocessedintwoweeks(MinneapolisInnovationTeam,2016).By
shorteningthetimetoreceiveemergencyassistanceandrequiringlandlordstoprovidea
noticeoftheirintenttofileforanevictionatleast30dayspriortofiling,thereisabetter
chanceofresolvingthemostcommonproblemofnon-paymentofrent(Minneapolis
InnovationTeam,2016).BasedontheevictionpanelpresentationweattendedonNovember
9,2017,nearly$4MinEmergencyAssistancewentunspentin2016.Byrealigningthese
timelines,renterswillbemorelikelytostayintheirhomesandlandlordscanavoidthetime
andmonetarycostsrelatedtoproceedingthroughthefullevictionprocess.
Recommendation3:FormaCollaborativeNetworkwithashareddatabase
Basedonourstudyofotherhighperformingmetropolitanareasandlessonslearned
fromtheevictionpanelpresentation,ourthirdrecommendationistoformacollaborative
networkwithashareddatabaseandinternalaccountabilitythatalsotrackstheimpactoftheir
combinedeffortstoreduceunnecessaryevictions.Fromourcontactwithlocalorganizations,
wehaveobservedlimitedcollaborations,primarilywithorganizationsprovidingthesame
39
service.Inordertoaddresstheevictionprobleminastrategicandefficientway,we
recommendthatallorganizationsintentionallycollaborateasaunifiednetwork.Inorderfor
thistobeeffective,itwillbecriticaltohaveastructurethatlinkstheseorganizationstogether
inawaythatprovidesstrongleadershipandaccountability.Bybeingapartofthisnetwork,all
organizationswillbeabletoseethelargerpictureandhoweachorganizationfitsintothis
puzzle.Bydevelopingashareddatabase,theywillbeabletoshareinformationmoreeasily
aboutthepeopletheyserveandbettertracktheimpactoftheirprogramstoguidefuture
improvements.Oneofthecommentsweheardattheevictionpanelpresentationfromthe
personwhohadbeenevictedtwicewasthatshewasnotgettingtimelyresponsesfromthe
organizationswhoaresupposedtobehelping.Thisisconcerning.Thatiswhyaccountability
isakeycomponentofthisrecommendation.Theintentisthateachorganizationis
accountabletothelargernetworkandeveryoneisaccountabletothepeopletheyserve.This
networkcanalsohelptoassureefficientandfairdistributionofresourcesbygettingeveryone
onthesameroadmap.
Recommendation4:Launchmandatory“righttocounsel”program
Ourfourthrecommendationistolaunchamandatory“righttocounsel”programlike
theonepassedbyNewYorkCityearlierthisyear.Thisprogramprovidesmandatory
guaranteedlegalassistancethroughtheevictionprocessforlowincomeresidentsandbrief
legalassistancetoallothertenants,allofwhichispaidbythecity(Lane,2017).Bymaking
tenantsawareoftheirresourcesandbyprovidingguaranteedlegalassistanceforthefull
evictionprocesstothosewhoaremostinneed,theconfusionandlackofinformation
identifiedintheHennepinCountyHousingCourtexitstudyshouldbealleviated.Inplanning
thispolicychange,weneedtoconsiderLindsey’scounterargumentthatpresentingadefense
doesnotnecessarilyincreasethechancesofavoidinganeviction(2010,p.101).Asweread
40
furtherintoherargument,weunderstandthatthereisaproblemwithtenantsnotbeingable
toprovidearelevantandlegallygermanedefensethatputsthematadisadvantagetowell
representedlandlords.Asshestates,“tenants’lackofrepresentationdirectlyaffectstheir
abilitytobringacaseandarticulateavaliddefense”(Lindsey,2010,p.117).Thislegal
assistanceprogramalongwiththegeneralnotificationprogramwilltakeastepforwardin
helpingtenantstobeinformedlongbeforetheyenterhousingcourt,potentiallyavoidingthe
courtroomaltogether.
Accordingtoa2016articleintheNewYorkTimes,theestimatedcosttoNewYorkCity
fortherepresentationoflow-incomeresidentswasestimatedtobe$200millionayear(Silver-
Greenberg).However,thecityalsoestimatedthatthisprogramwouldsavethecity$300
millionayearbykeeping5,237familiesoutofshelterseachyearatacostof$43,000per
family(Silver-Greenberg,2016).Morelocally,theHennepinCountyandCityofMinneapolis
CommissiontoEndHomelessnessestimatedthecostofoneepisodeoffamilyhomelessnessto
benearly$5,000whilepreventioncostslessthan$1,000(2006).Whiletherearecosts
involvedwiththisprogram,therearealsocleareconomicbenefits.Becausethisprogramis
stillinitsinfantstageinNewYorkCity,itshouldbestudiedtoverifytherealimpactand
reductioninoverallcostandHennepinCountyshouldconsiderapilotprojecttotestthelocal
impactbeforeimplementingthisonalargerscale.
Recommendation5:Provideaffordablehousingforalllow-incomeresidents
Ourfifthandfinalmajorrecommendationistoincreasethecombinedeffortsbylocal
governmentandnonprofitstocreateaffordablehousingsothatalllow-incomeresidentshave
access.IntheHennepinCountyHousingCourtexitsurvey,theyfoundthattheaverage
monthlyrentforthosesurveyedwas$1,005.52andtheaveragemonthlyincomewas
$1777.60.Onaverage,thosesurveyedwerespendingnearly60%oftheirincomeonhousing,
41
while30%iscommonlyconsideredtobeaffordable.Althoughhelpingpeoplefacingapossible
evictionisimportant,itisimperativethatthiscoreproblemofthelackofaffordablehousingbe
addressed.ThiswasalsoemphasizedasakeypartofthesolutionintheNovember9,2017
evictionpanelpresentation(seeAppendixCforthefullmeetingnotes).Asnotedearlier,
HennepinCountyranked40thoutofthe100largestcountiesintheUnitedStatesintermsof
theavailabilityofadequateandaffordablehousingaccordingto2014data(Getsingeretal.,
2017).In2014,40unitsoutofevery100rentalunitswereaffordabletothosemaking30%or
lessoftheareamedianincomeinHennepinCountywithconsiderationforfederalsubsidies.
Asaresult,overhalfofthepeopleintheextremelylow-incomecategoryarenotfinding
adequateandaffordablehousing,increasingthelikelihoodthattheywillfindthemselves
gettingbehindonrentandfacinganeviction.Toaddressthis,HennepinCountymustmakeita
prioritytoassurethataffordablehousingisavailabletoalllow-incomeresidents.Inorderto
increasetheavailabilityofaffordablehousing,HennepinCountyshouldconsidersustainable
fundingsourcesincludingTaxIncrementFinancing,ImpactFees,LinkageFees,andrequiringa
certainpercentageofaffordablehousingfornewhousingdevelopment.Inordertomaintain
longtermaffordability,thecommunitylandtrustmodelshouldbeexpandedinHennepin
County.Ifindividualsandfamiliesarelivinginhousingtheycanafford,theywillbemore
likelytohavethecapacitytocreateanemergencyfundoftheirowntoweatherajoblossor
financialcrisis.Whilethereisacosttodothesethings,theeconomicbenefitsoflongterm
stabilitywillbegreater.
AdditionalTakeawaysfromCaseStudiesofthetop4MetropolitanAreas
Fromourresearchofthefour(4)highestperformingmetropolitanareaswiththe
lowestevictionrates,therewereotherimportantsmallerscalealternativesthatshouldalsobe
42
considered.TheseimprovementideasareincludedintheAppendixAtableandsummarized
below:
1. Reviewtheresourcesthatareneededforpeoplefacingevictionsandmakesure
thattheyareprovidedtopeoplecalling311inMinneapolisandtheUnitedWay
211lineforhealthandhumanservices.
2. EvaluateNorthpointprogramtomakesurethatitismeetingpeople’sneedsand
makeimprovementsbeforeexpandingthisservicetootherlocations,possibly
locatingtheseservicesatregionalhumanservicescentersthathavealreadybeen
established.
3. ExpandservicesofferedthroughtheCommunityActionPartnershipofHennepin
Countytoinclude,amongotherthings,financialassistance.Thiswillrequire
additionalfundingthatcouldcomefromthesavingsrealizedbyreducingthe
numberofevictions.
4. Re-evaluatetheotherlegalservicesthatareprovidedincludingHOMELineand
VolunteerLawyersNetworktocoordinatewiththeguaranteedlegalservices
proposedabove.Thegoalwouldbetoincreasetheefficiencyoftheoverall
system.
5. Createacountyorstatelevelevictiondatabase.Thebiggestchallengewefaced
withthisstudywaslimiteddataonevictions,whichhaslargelyaffectedthe
robustnessoftheresearch.Withlongitudinaldata,futureresearcherswillbe
abletoconductpre-and-postinterventionanalysisandorganizationswillbe
betterequippedtoevaluatetheimpactsoftheirevictionpreventionprograms.
6. Diversifyfundingresourcesforevictionpreventionprograms.Basedonthis
study,themostcommonfundingsourceswerefromEmergencySolutionGrants
(ESG)andotherHUDgrants.However,thesefundsaretoolimitedconsidering
43
thelargepopulationthatfacesevictionthreats.Privatesectordonorsand
foundationsshouldbebroughtintohelpaddressthisissue.
Insummary,ourrecommendationproposesimprovingcommunicationstotenantsat
strategicpointssothatpeopleareinformed,requiringa30-daynoticefromlandlordspriorto
filinganevictionalongwithashorterresponsetimeforemergencyassistance,guaranteed
legalassistanceforlow-incomeresidentstoassurethattheyhavethebestopportunityto
prevailinthelegalprocess,developingacollaborativeassistancenetworkthatincludesallof
thenonprofitandgovernmentorganizationsthatareaddressingtheevictionissue,andfinally
focusingoncollectivelyprovidingaffordablehousingforalllowincomeresidents.By
implementingtheserecommendationsonasmallerscalefirstwithimpactmeasurements,
importantlessonscanbelearnedbeforetheserecommendationsareincorporatedonalarger
scale.
44
7.Conclusion
Inordertobetterunderstandtheevictionproblem,weresearchedavailableliterature
anddata.Wediscoveredthattherewaslimiteddataavailableonevictionsandtherecurring
callforadditionaldatagatheringtobetterunderstandthecausesofevictionsandthechanges
thataremakingapositivedifference.Ourmaindatasourcewasthe2013AmericanHousing
Survey(AHS)for25metropolitanareasintheUnitedStatesandforthenationasawhole.By
analyzingthe2013AHSdata,wedeterminedthefourtopmetropolitanareaswiththelowest
evictionratesandstudiedwhatthosefourmetropolitanareashavedonetoachievelower
evictionrates.
Wefoundthatthemetropolitanareaswithlowestevictionrateshadalargenumberof
governmentandnonprofitorganizationsofferingadiversesetofprogramsfortenantsto
receiveassistancewhenfacingthethreatofeviction.Easieraccesstolegalandfinancial
assistanceseemedtoplayanimportantroleinpreventingtenantsfrombeingevictedfrom
theirhomes.Wealsofoundthatthebestprogramscanbeinaccessibleiftenantsarenotaware
ofthem.Therefore,goodcommunicationiscriticalforsuccess.
ForHennepinCounty,ourrecommendationsaretoensuretenantsareawareofthe
resourcesavailabletothem;torequirea30daynoticefromthelandlordbeforefilingfor
evictionandtoexpeditetheemergencyassistanceprocesstoprovidefinancialassistanceina
timelymanner;toprovidelegalrepresentationtoalllowincometenantsfacingevictions;to
createacollaborativeassistancenetworkofallorganizationsandagenciesassistingpeopleto
avoidevictionwithashareddatabase;andtoincreasesharedeffortsandsustainablefunding
sourcestoassurethataffordablehousingisavailabletoalllowincomeresidents.
45
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Getsinger,L.,Posey,L.,MacDonald,G.,Leopold,J.&Abazajian,K.(2017).Thehousing
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Greenberg,D.,Gershenson,C.,&Desmond,M.(2016).Discriminationinevictions:empirical
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Hartman,C.,&Robinson,D.(2003).Evictions:Thehiddenhousingproblem.HousingPolicy
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HennepinCountyOfficeofHousingStability.(2017).Housingcourtexitsurvey.
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51
9.Appendix
AppendixA-PolicyRecommendationDecisionMatrixorganizedbymajorcategoriesCounselingPrograms
BestPracticesfromMetropolitanAreaswithLowEvictionRates
LocalPrograms RecommendationforHennepinCounty
211programs-Providephoneaccessedinformationresourceforshelter,housing,rentandutilityassistance,legalassistance,financialassistance,andgovernmentalassistanceprograms.
311Minneapolis-GeneralassistancelineforMinneapolisthatalwaysrecommendsHOMELineforcallersfacingapotentialeviction.
1.Re-evaluateresourceneedsforevictionprevention;2.Confirmthatinformationprovidedby211addressesthoseneeds;3.Includeallresourcesinnewresourceguidethatwearerecommendingforallnewtenants.
UnitedWay211-FreeandconfidentialhealthandhumanservicesinformationforMinnesota.Provideevictionrelatedinformationincludingrentalassistance,homelessnessprevention,andlegalassistance.
ComprehensiveAssistancePrograms-Addressallneedsincludingfinancialaid,financialeducation,legalaid,self-sufficiencyplanning,andassistancewithotherconcerns.
NorthpointandCAP-Comprehensiveserviceprovidestenantcounseling;referralsforvarioushousingresources;limitedemergency-basedfinancialassistance;weeklybudgetclasses;utilitypaymentresources;financialcounseling;andaneedsassessment.
1.Completeafullevaluationtomakesureservicesalignwithneeds;and2.Providethissameserviceatotherstrategiclocationsinthecounty.
52
AffordableHousingPrograms
BestPracticesfromMetropolitanAreaswithLowEvictionRates
LocalPrograms RecommendationforHennepinCounty
Collaborativeefforttoprovidelongtermaffordablehousingforlowincomeresidents
Aeon-Providerentalhousingforverylow-incomefamilies.
1.ConsiderasingleregionalhousingagencytomoreeffectivelyadministertheavailableresourcesashasbeendoneinJacksonville,FL;and2.Exploresustainablemeansofaddingaffordablehousingincludingaffordablehousingrequirementsfornewhousingdevelopments.
HousingLink-Provideaclearinghouseofaffordableandqualityhousingforpeoplewithlowandmediumincomes.
ProjectforPrideinLiving-Developsandsustainsquality,affordablehousingforlower-incomefamiliesandindividualsalongwithself-sufficiencyandjobtraining.
53
FinancialAssistancePrograms
BestPracticesfromMetropolitanAreaswithLowEvictionRates
LocalPrograms RecommendationforHennepinCounty
SmallNonprofitAssistance-Avarietyofsmallnonprofitsincludingfaith-basedorganizationshelpinglowincomeindividualswithrentalassistanceanddirectthemtoresourcesthattheymaynotbeawareof.
St.Stephen'sHumanServices-Providesone-timerentalassistancetofamiliesandsingleparentswhofacethethreatofevictioninMinneapolisandadministertheSouthMinneapolisRentalPreventionAssistanceProgram.Focusedonassistingfamilieswithchildren.
1.Tomaximizetheircollectiveresourcesandimpact,werecommendthecreationofacollaborativenetworkamongtheseorganizationssothattheireffortswouldbemorediverselyandcohesivelydistributed;and2.Werecommendthatclientinformationbesharedasapartofadatabasethatisaccessibletothenetworkoforganizationssothateachorganizationhasafullpictureofeachoftheirclients.
LocalChurchAssistancePrograms-LCAprogramsproviderentalandutilitybillassistance.Servicesprovidedincollaborationwiththegovernment.
GovernmentSupportedAssistancePrograms-manyprogramstopreventhomelessnessbyprovidingindividualswithrent,utilityfees,andotherhousingexpenses.Theyarealsohelplowincomeclientstoremainintheirhomes.
HennepinCountyHomelessPreventionprogram-providesshort-termassistancewithrentandhousingexpensestoresidentsinfinancialcrisis.
FamilyHomelessPreventionandAssistanceProgram(FHPAP)-providesassistanceinfindinghousingaswellasdirectassistancewithrent,securitydeposits,mortgage,andotherassistance.
54
LegalAssistance
BestPracticesfromMetropolitanAreaswithLowEvictionRates
LocalPrograms RecommendationforHennepinCounty
FreeLegalAssistance-accessiblewithofficessometimeslocatednearcourtroomsandsomeincomelimitations.
HOMELine-providesfreeandlow-costlegal,organizing,education,andadvocacyservicesfortenants.
1.Consider"righttocounsel"foralllow-incomeresidents;2.Evaluatebothservicesforaccessibilityandimpactbasedonfirstrecommendation;3.Includetheseresourcesinproposedresourceguide;and4.Addcommunitypresentationsinareaswithhighestevictionratesontenantrights.
VolunteerLawyersNetwork-utilizevolunteerlawyerstoprotectandenforcethelegalrightsoflow-incomeMinnesotans.
Mid-Minnesotalegalaid-providesfreecivillegalassistanceforlowincomeMinnesotans.
55
AppendixB-InterviewwithEdmundWitter,managingattorneyforHousingJusticeProjectinKingCounty,WA.
1.Canyoushareaboutwhatyourorganizationdoestohelppreventevictions?Response:
Theyhaveoffices in the court houseswhere eviction cases areheard.There are staffavailabletoassistindividualsfacingevictionproceedingprovidedtheirincomelevelisbelow200%ofthepovertyline.Thevolunteerlawyerswillmeetwiththetenantstodeterminewhatdefensetheremightbeortrytoworkoutsomethingwiththelandlordorwiththelandlord’sattorney,findingawaythatwillavoideviction.2. Haveyoumeasuredthe impact that this ishaving? Ifso,wouldyoumindsharingthatinformationwithus?Response:
First of all, he was surprised by the AHS data showing the low eviction rate for theSeattle-Tacoma-EverettmetropolitanareaHehadworkedinNewYorkCityuntillastJulyandin his opinion, the eviction rate there should be lower than in King County. From hisobservation,almostnobodywasbeingevictedinNewYorkCity.
In terms of impact, the Housing Justice Project has helped on average about 2,000householdshavebeenhelpedoverthelastafewyears.Theytrackdataelectronicallyforeachcaseincludingwhetherornotanevictionwasavoided,iftheifthepersonreceivedamove-outdate, if they avoided a money judgement, if the amount owed was reduced, or if the casedismissed.3. Do you collaborate with other organizations and if so, how does that increaseyourimpact?Response:
Theycollaboratealittlebit–thereisanotherlegalservicesprovidercalledLegalAction(LA) Center and they do ongoing legal representation.However, theHousing Justice projectonly provides short-term service. There are many cases that need additional support for avariety reasons. Theywould refer cases to LA center and depending on themerit, theywillprovide additional help. According to Mr. Witter, good social services are key to reducingevictions. For example, New York City provides very good social services with significantentitlementspendingthatisnotavailableinKingcounty.InNewYorkCity,theyhavetherightto shelter which means that anyone in need has to be housed in a shelter. The city wasspending$3,000amonthtohouseafamily. Theyrealizeditwasmoreadvantageoustohelppeoplepayoffbackrentthanprovideshelter.
InKingCounty,thereisnotthesamekindofentitlementspendingonbehalfofthecity
or County. King County has some money available to help tenants pay off rent f, but theydistribute these funds through social services providers such as Catholic Charities and theJewishfamilycenter.
90% of the tenants they have served can’t pay their rent, primarily because of some
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trauma such asmedical, emergency, unemployment, or a family crisis. Tenants try to accesssmallprovidersandcharitableorganizationstogetsomemoneyanditisalotofworkbecausetheycouldonlygetalittleamountofmoneyateachlocation.Thissystemisnotveryeffective.4. Are there things thatyouwould like todo,buthavenotdoneorwould suggestthatotherorganizationdotohelppreventevictions?Response:
Thereareanumberofwaysthatwecouldhelppreventevictions.Oneeffectivewaytoreduceevictionisforthelocalgovernmentormunicipalitytobecommittedtoitandputtheprovide funding for it. Also, the court system needs to make that kind of commitment toimprovethesituation.Oneotherwaytocurveevictionsistoputprovidersinthecourthousebecause that iswhere theevictionsarehappening.Also,youneedextended legalhelp togetsomeonethroughtheevictionprocess.WhenMr.WitterwasinNYC,heworkedonthe“righttocounsel” initiative thatwas going to provide attorneys for everybodywho is in the evictionproceedingwithan incomelevel thatwasbelow200%of thepoverty line. AccordingtoMr.Witter, they basically eliminated evictions almost completely.WhenMr.Witterwas in NYC,theyrepresented250householdswithin3-4monthsintheBronx,whichisoneofthepoorestcongressionaldistrictsinthecountry. Theyhadzeroevictionsbecausetheyreceivedalotofhelpfromthecityandwereabletogetgrantstomakesuretenantscouldpaytheirrentinsteadofgoingtothesheltersystem.TheyhadlegalservicesinthecourthouseliketheydoinSeattle,but theyalsohadtheability tohelppeople inanemergencyplustheyhadgoodrelationshipwiththecourtsystem.
“Honestly,ittakesalotofplayerstobeabletoeliminateevictionseffectively,”saidMr.
Witter.Youneedalloftheinstitutionsincludingthecourts,nonprofits,socialserviceproviders,andcitygovernmenttobereallycommittedtoactuallymakingithappen.Theyreallyhavetounderstandwhatitmeanstobeevicted. Itisnotjustviolatingyourcontracttopayrent,butevictiondisplacessomebodyandithasarealimpactontheoverallcommunity.
Mr.Witterrecommendedimplementing“justcause”intheCountysothatthelandlord
can’tjustthrowyououtbecausehe/shedoesn’tlikeyou.Thatwouldmakeabigdifference.InNYC,peopleliveinplacesfor30-40years,butinSeattleareaormanypartsofthecountry,thislong-term tenancy does not exist. Most tenants aremoving in 2-3 years and there is not astrong sense of community. In Seattle tenants are getting evicted easily and their rights arelimited.InNYC,thedemographicsarebeingmaintainedbecausetheevictionprocessisnotasexpedited.
Finally,Mr.WitterwasveryskepticalaboutSeattleareahavingalowerevictionrates.
Hesaidhehasseenotherplaceswithlowerevictionrates,butSeattleisNOTit,inhisopinion.Theremight be proceduralmechanism thatmake a difference too, for example in CaliforniaandNewYorkCity theyhave verydevelopedprocedureswhen it comes to evictionprocessthatincentivizethelandlord.InMinnesota,theymighthavethe“righttotrial”,butitissortofahybridmodel.Inalotofstates,theydon’thavethe“righttotrial”forevictionproceedings.Thejudgeusuallymakesthedecision,butthestatesthathavethe“righttotrial”havealot lowerevictionrates.Whereitismoreaformalprocess,itistreatedmoreseriously.
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AppendixC-EvictionpanelpresentationnotesandinterviewwithEricHaugefromHOMELineLocation:Room319intheMinneapolisCityHall/CountyCourthouseDate:November9,2017
ZoeThielfromtheCityofMinneapolisCoordinator’sOfficeInnovationTeamstartedthemeetingandsharedthefollowingkeypoints:
● Evictionsarede-stabilizingforindividualsandfamilies.● Evictionsareabarriertofindingfuturehousing.● TheareaswiththehighestnumberofevictionsinMinneapolisareNorth
MinneapolisandthePhillips/PowderhornNeighborhoods.● Theprimaryreasonforevictionsisnon-paymentofrent.● TheaveragerateofevictionsfortheCityofMinneapolisis5per100units.Thisis
higherinsomeareasasshownbythemapspresented.● Abouthalfofthefiledcasesresultinevictions.● 1outofevery3tenantsdonotshowupfortheirevictionhearing.● TheprimarygoalfortheCityinaddressingtheevictionproblemistodecreasethe
numberofevictionsfiledbecauseoftheharmfulimpactsofeviction.● Thesecondaryandtertiarygoalsarefocusedonmitigatingtheimpactsofevictions
aftertheyhaveoccurred.Becauseofthemultiplenegativeimpacts,itispreferabletopreventevictionsfromoccurring.
● TheCity’sstrategywasoutlinedasfollows:o Interveneearlytogetrentpaid.o Addressrepairissues.o Encouragealternativestoevictionfiling.Evictionsshouldbealastresort.o Providesupportfortenants.
Darryl,aMinneapolisHousingInspector,spokenext.Heexplainedthattheirofficeis
calledbecausetenantshaveaconcernaboutarepairissue.Insomecases,tenantsarewithholdingrentpaymentbecauseofarepairissue.Thiscansometimesresultinaretaliatoryeviction.ThereisaprogramcalledTenantVoicesthatprovidesanopportunityfortheCitytohearfromtenantsinaconfidentialway.
Thepresentationthentransitionedtoapaneldiscussion.Thepanelincludedthe
followingpanelmemberswiththeirrespectivecomments:● BenrepresentingCLUESsharedthefollowing:
o CLUESworkswiththeLatinoCommunity.o Evictionsarelinkedtotraumathathehaspersonallywitnessed.o CLUESishelpingpeopletoaddressmentalhealthissues.o Undocumentedpeoplearemorevulnerable,becausetheywillnotmeetthe
requirementsforgettingassistance.o Latinofamiliesarehesitanttouseshelters.o Intermsofsolutions,Benrecommendedthatculturallyspecificagenciesshould
partnerwithotheragenciestoprovideacoordinatedandholisticresponse.o Inclosing,Benstatedthatrelationshipsarekey.
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● EricHaugerepresentingHOMELinesharedthefollowing:
o HOMELineprovidesadviceto15,000householdsperyearacrossMinnesota.o Evictionsareoneofthetop3reasonspeoplecall.o Fromthephonecalls,HOMELineunderstandsthattherearemoreinformalthan
formalevictionsbecauseoffragileleaseslikemonth-to-monthleases.o ReferencingtheDesmondbook,Ericstatedthattherewereparallelswith
Minneapolis,buttherearedifferences.▪ Housingstockisdifferenthere.▪ Peoplearepayingforrepairswhichresultsinthemnothavingenoughmoney
topayrent.o Intermsofasolution,Ericrecommendingimprovingtenantprotectionsinthe
tenant/landlordrelationship.o Inclosing,Ericrecommendedreflectingonthepowerdynamic.
● LukerepresentingLegalAidsharedthefollowing:
o LegalAidhas10lawyersandrepresentstenantsinhousingcourt.o Theyservetheentirestate.o Theirserviceislimitedtothosewhomeetincomerequirements.o Emergencyassistancesystemisbroken.$4Mwentunspentlastyear.o ReferencingtheDesmondbook,hestatedthattheMilwaukeeexampleisvery
similartoMinneapolis.o Intermsofideasforsolutions,Lukesupportedtherighttocounselfortenantsas
theynowhaveinNewYorkCity.Hehasobservedahugedisparityinthecourtroomwithmostlandlords,whoaretypicallywhite,havinglawyersandmosttenants,whoaretypicallyminorities,havingnolegalrepresentation.
o Inclosing,Lukecalledattendeestocalloremailtheirelectedofficialsandsharetheirthoughtsonthisissue.Thereiscurrentlyafederaltaxbillthatwouldaffectaffordablehousingandafewvoiceswouldmakeadifference.
● Asinglemotheroftworepresentingpeoplewhohavepersonallyexperiencedan
evictionsharedthefollowing:o Shehasexperiencedanevictiontwice.o Herevictionsresultedfromlackoffundsbecauseofadivorce(inonecase)anda
lossofworkinbothcases.o Sheactivelypursuedvariousorganizationstohelpher,butfounditdifficultto
gettimelyresponses.o Inbothcasesherlandlordwouldnotwaitforpayment.Inthefirstcase,shehad
faithfullypaidherrentforfiveyears.o Thesituationsnowballedforher.Whenshelostherjob,shehadlessincome
thatresultedinnotbeingabletopayrentandthenshelosthercarinsurance.Becauseshecouldnotdrivehercar,thislimitedheremploymentoptions.Sheendeduphomelessandlivingoutofhercar,callingthepolicedepartmentwhensheneededtomovebetweenparkinglots.
o Intermsofsolutions,sheproposedthefollowing:▪ Aligningthetimingforemergencyassistancewiththeevictionprocessso
thattenantscangethelpbeforebeingevicted.Itdoesnotmakesensethat
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therearemillionsofdollarsgoingunspentwhiletherearepeoplewhoneedhelp.
▪ Helpingpeopletofocusontheirlifeandmovingforwardinapositivewayratherthangettingentangledinasystemthatdoesnotprovidehelpinatimelymanner.
▪ Agenciesthataresupposedtoexisttohelppeopleshouldnotbedodgingpeople.Theyneedtobeavailableandhelptenantsinatimelymanner.
▪ Assistanceagenciesshouldletpeopleknowrightawayiftheycanhelpthemratherthanmakingpeoplewait.
o Inclosing,shecalledforthefollowing:▪ Morefunding.▪ Bettercommunicationbetweenallparties.▪ Moretenantresources.▪ Modifytheprocesssothatpeoplecangethelpwhentheyneedit.▪ Tenant/Landlordrelationshipisarelationshipandshouldbetreatedassuch
whenthingsgettough.
Afterthepaneldiscussion,wediscussedanexcerptfromtheDesmondbookonEvictionsatourtable.Wewerejoinedbyacityemployeewhohelpsaddresshousingwherechildrenhavetestedhighforleadlevels.Fromhersitevisits,shehasmetfamilieswitheconomicchallengesandfamiliesfacingeviction.ShenotedthatitisverycommonforsingleAfrican-Americanmomstoendupinfinancialproblemsbecauseitissodifficulttofindchildcare.Shehadalsoobservedthatmanytenantsarebeingevictedinretaliationforbringinguparepairissue,liketheonesidentifiedinthereading.Iftenantscomplaintocityhousinginspections,thelandlordwillfindoutandthenevictthosetenants.Herrecommendationwastoprovidemorerentaloptionsatthefairmarketlevel.
TheInnovationteamprovideddatasheetforthiseventwithdatacomingfromthe
AmericanCommunitySurveyandthe2017HennepinCountyHousingCourtsurvey.Thekeypointsincludingthefollowing:
● “NearlyathirdofallhouseholdsintheTwinCitiesarerenters–morethan355,570
families.”● “Morethan45%ofrenterhouseholdsintheTwinCitiespaymorethantheycanafford
and25%paymorethanhalfoftheirmonthlyincomeonrent.”● “In2016,8,976evictionswerefiledinHennepinandRamseyCounties,butthisdoesn’t
includethethousandsofinformalevictionsthatoccureachyearwithoutanydueprocess.”
● “Communitiesofcoloraredisproportionatelyimpacted.”● “AcrosstheTwinCitiesMetro,therearejust34,000rentalunitsthatareaffordableand
availabletomorethan102,000extremelylow-incomehouseholds.”● “Withlowvacancyratesleadingtofewhousingoptions,familiesconfrontachallenging
rentalmarketwhererenthasincreased28%acrosstheTwinCitiessince2007.”● BasedontheHennepinCountyHousingCourtsurvey:
o Blackfemaleswerethelargestgroupaffectedbyevictions.o Only10%oftenantshadlegalrepresentationwhile30%oflandlordshadlegal
representation.o While36%ofresidentsremainedintheirhomes,54%hadtovacate.
● Finally,thereisacallforactionwiththishandoutthatrecommendsthefollowing:
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o “Tenantsmustinformpolicychangestoimproveandprotecttheirhomes.”o “Affordablehousingmustbeatoppriorityforpolicymakersincludingmore
funding.”o “Thepublic,privateandnonprofitsectorsmustcollaboratetoensuredignified
homesforall.”November9,2017InterviewwithEricHaugefromHOMELine
Afterthepresentation,wespokewithEricHaugefromHOMELinetobetterunderstandwhattheydo,theirimpactandthepotentialimpactofprogramslikeNewYorkCitiesrighttocounselprogram.
HOMELineprovidesquickadvicerelatedtohousingthatcanbegivenoverthephoneorthroughanin-personconsultation.Approximatelytwothirdsoftheir15,000yearlycallsarereceivedintheMetroArea.Thetopthreereasonspeoplecallincluderepairs,securitydepositandevictions.Ericestimatedthat1,000–3,000callsperyearwererelatedtoevictions.TheymayhelppeoplewithcommondefensesandmayreferpeopletoprogramslikeLegalAidiftheymeettheirincomerequirement.HenotedthatthereisaRighttoRedeemoptionthatallowstenantstoshowupincourtandmakefullpaymentforoutstandingrentpluscourtrelatedexpenses.HOMELineadvisesanyoneregardlessoftheirincome.
EricthoughtthatarighttocounselprogramlikewhatwasrecentlyapprovedinNewYorkCitywouldhelptoleveltheplayingfieldandimprovethesuccessratefortenantsinMinneapolisandHennepinCounty.
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AppendixD-PolicyAlternatives,withPros,ConsandTradeoffs
Alternative Pros Cons Trade-Offs
Makeallrentersawareofresourceswhentheysigntheirleaseandsendareminderwhennoticeissentregardingpendingeviction.
Quickresourcewhenpeopleneedhelpandthisshouldbefairlyeasytoimplement.
Willtakesometimeandefforttokeepinformationcurrentandmakesurethattheinformationiseasilyavailabletorenters.
Whileitisanextrastepforlandlords,thiscouldreducethetimeandmoneyspentlatertoevicttenantswhoaretryingtodotherightthing.
Require30-daynoticefromLandlordtoTenantpriortoevictionfilingandshortenresponsetimeforemergencyassistanceto2weekswithexpeditedprocess.
Morelikelytokeeptenantsintheirhomes;reducesevictionrelatedfeesforLandlords;anditwillhelptomakeuseoftheemergencyassistancefundsthatarenotbeingused.
Potentiallydelayspaymenttolandlord;andrequirestime,effortandmoneytomakelegalchangesandchangesintheemergencyassistanceprocess.
Itwillbenefiteveryoneinthelongtermbecausethelandlordswillavoidevictionrelatedcostsandwilllikelygetpaidsooner.Tenantswillbeabletostayintheirhomeswhichbenefitsthemandtheircommunity.
Formacollaborativenetworkwithashareddatabasethatalsotrackstheimpactsandholdseachotheraccountablefortimelyassistance.
Whilethereissomecollaborationalready,thiswillimprovecollaboration;bytrackingimpact,improvementscanbemadetobetterservethecommunity;andtheaccountabilitypiecewillhelptoassurethatpeopleareserved.
Itcanbechallengingtogetalargegroupoforganizationsfromdifferentsectorstogetherandworkingtogether;itwillbeimportanttofindaleaderoffacilitatortoguidethiseffort.
Whileitwilltakeanadditionalefforttomakethishappenandkeepthisgoing,therewillbelessduplicationofefforts,greaterefficiencybasedonworkingtogetherandlearningfromdata;andcustomerswillbebetterservedbecauseoftheaccountability.
Mandatorylegalsupportforeveryoneinlow-Incomecategory.
Thisguaranteesthatalllow-incometenantshaverepresentationandpowerimbalanceisaddressed.
CosttoCityorCounty;increasedneedforlegalassistance.
NYCestimatedthatthesavingswouldoutweighthecosts;thisshouldreducethenumberofevictionswhichwillresultingreaterstabilityforfamiliesandcommunitiesandlesstrauma.
Increaseaffordablehousingsothattheavailabilityofaffordablehousingisat100forevery100ELIrenters.
Affordablehousingshouldbearightthateveryonehas.Ifeveryonehasaffordablehousing,itreducestheneedforalloftheothersolutions.
Affordablehousingtakesaconcertedeffortasthemarketisnotdoingthisonitsown.
Ifeveryonecanfindaffordablehousing,theyarelesslikelytobeinasituationwheretheyarefacinganeviction.