Followup on the Tenant Eviction Crisis
We blogged earlier about the state of Connecticut taking steps to prevent renters from being wrongfully evicted when their landlords are foreclosed upon. Yesterday, Emily Savner of the Brennan Center for Justice contributed a guest post on the Congress Blog over at The Hill making the argument that the reauthorization and expanded funding of the Legal Services Corporation (which we talked about as well) is critical to ensure that there are sufficient affordable lawyers to assist tenants facing improper eviction. Even as more states step up like Connecticut, the majority of tenants facing eviction will require legal assistance to keep their apartments as long as they legally can. Additionally, the reauthorization statute would change some outdated rules, including one that prevents legal aid clients from participating in class action cases, which could be particularly powerful in getting banks, developers, and landlords to follow state and federal law.
We will keep you updated on the progress of the bill, called the Civil Access to Justice Act, as it makes its way through Congress.