HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION SERIES: Spotlight on Eviction Prevention

December 3, 2024
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HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION SERIES: Spotlight on Eviction Prevention 

Read the other spotlights and the first-ever federal homelessness prevention framework at usich.gov/prevention. 

In a typical year, U.S. landlords pursue eviction on 3.6 million occasions. Evictions occur for many reasons, but the inability to afford rising rent costs is one of the biggest. More than 70% of extremely low-wage households spend more than half of their income on rent, and every $100 increase in median rent is associated with a 9% rise in homelessness, according to a study of the 20 largest Continuums of Care (CoC). 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, renter protections and resources were expanded to prevent people from losing their homes at a time of global and unprecedented turmoil. The American Rescue Plan Act prevented millions of evictions through emergency rental assistance and other programs, which proved that eviction prevention at scale was possible and laid the groundwork for a national eviction prevention system.  

However, as those pandemic funds have run out, federal and national partners must build communities’ capacity to offer various resources. Now, local governments must build local systems to prevent evictions and homelessness for the people in their communities. 

Local and Statewide Efforts 

Taking the lessons learned from the pandemic, many states and local communities have gotten creative in maintaining and providing resources for people at risk of eviction and homelessness. Most local eviction prevention programs combine rental assistance with other services, including free legal aid services, case management, and landlord-tenant mediation. 

  • Minnesota’s Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program combines supportive services and financial assistance for security deposits, rent payments, or utility payments for people at imminent risk of homelessness. 95% of the households served remained permanently housed after the program’s intervention, and just 1% became homeless within 12 months.  
  • Similarly, Tulsa, Oklahoma, manages a one-stop eviction-prevention center where tenants and landlords can receive information about rental assistance, legal aid services, mediation, financial empowerment, and homeless services. 97% of the people served by A Way Home for Tulsa (the county’s Continuum of Care) exited programs to permanent housing destinations during FY 2023.   
  • In Waterville, Maine, the Mid-Maine Shelter & Services organization has prioritized prevention and serves 300-400 people annually. They combine cash assistance for deposits, repairs, case management, and housing navigation to engage landlords and strengthen the landlord-tenant relationship. 
  • In Massachusetts, the key to eviction prevention is collaboration. The state created the Tenancy Preservation Program to strengthen collaboration between social services and the courts. The state embeds social workers in the Housing Court Department to identify and help people at risk of eviction who have disabilities or other complex health conditions. Together, the social workers and courts prevented 80% of eligible households from becoming homeless in the last year, thus reducing the cost of resources that would otherwise need to be spent through emergency shelters and services, including hospitalizations.   
  • To increase legal representation, Wisconsin tracks weekly eviction filings through the Wisconsin Eviction Data Project and connects the renters who received an eviction notice with housing counselors and legal services. Although Wisconsin’s eviction filings have increased to pre-pandemic levels, the number of cases resulting in eviction is relatively low.  
  • In addition to legal representation, many communities are increasing efforts to educate people about renters’ rights. For instance, through its Coordinated Eviction Prevention System and Tenant Legal Services Program, San Diego County offers renters’ rights workshops to tenants at risk of eviction. That’s on top of one year of services, including tenant and landlord education/mediation, case management, system navigation, connections to legal services, connection to workforce opportunities, and financial support. 

Federal Action 

USICH has long prioritized homeless prevention through All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, and the Biden-Harris Administration has maximized existing federal housing assistance and expanded other programs, which during the pandemic provided more federal rental assistance in three years than in the previous 20 years, taking the following actions, among others:     

  • President Biden asked Congress to invest $3 billion to promote and strengthen state and local eviction prevention efforts for renters.  
  • The White House released a Blueprint for a Renters’ Bill of Rights that includes safe, quality, accessible, and affordable housing, clear and fair leases, education, enforcement, and enhancement of renters’ rights, the right to organize, and eviction prevention, diversion, and relief.  
  • The Treasury Department (Treasury) invested more than $46 billion in emergency rental assistance, making more than 12.3 million payments to households at risk of eviction. Treasury invested $9.9 billion in homeowner assistance, assisting more than 549,000 homeowners at risk of foreclosure and displacement.  
  • Communities used Treasury programs from the American Rescue Plan to dedicate nearly $63 billion to housing projects. For instance, $19.5 billion was used from State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) for more than 3,400 housing-focused projects that are expected to provide rent, mortgage, and utility assistance to more than 4.9 million households, in addition to eviction prevention services, including housing counselors and eviction diversion programs.  
  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is finalizing a proposed rule that would require public housing agencies and owners of HUD-assisted housing to provide written notice 30 days before filing an eviction notice to tenants facing eviction for falling behind on their rent.  
  • HUD launched the Eviction Prevention Grant Program and has since awarded first-of-their-kind grants to 21 legal service providers that offer no-cost services to low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction in areas—including rural—with high eviction rates. As of March, grantees have provided legal assistance to more than 35,000 households. In July, HUD announced the availability of $40 million for this program.  
  • HUD announced $10 million in new funding for the Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance program, which will provide tenants with information on their rights and responsibilities.  
  • HUD published a literature review on effective state and local policies that can reduce eviction filings.  
  • HUD banned many non-rent fees in HUD-assisted properties, including its Multifamily, Public Housing, and Housing Choice Voucher programs.  
  • The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded $26.8 million to 108 public and non-profit organizations to increase access to legal services for veterans at risk of eviction and homelessness.  
  • VA expanded its Shallow Subsidy service, which offers a set percentage of rental support over a defined time. This differentiates it from traditional rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention assistance, which generally has a shorter, variable timeframe.  
  • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released “Eviction Prevention: A Toolkit for Tenants and Service Providers.” 

 

USICH wants to hear from you! Do you have best practices for effective and innovative ways to prevent homelessness? Click to share them with USICH. 

 

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