On Wednesday June 12th the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin hosted a webinar on policy and practice approaches to supporting renters with low incomes at the risk of eviction. The webinar featured Dr. Mike Lentz, an associate professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; Dr. Eva Rosen provost distinguished associate professor in the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and Jennifer Prusak, an associate clinical professor of law and director of the housing Law Clinic in the Vanderbilt University Law school.
The webinar centered on the eviction crisis and the need for better access to legal representation for renters. Dr. Lentz set the stage on the current eviction system set in place as well as the institutional life of eviction. Dr. Lentz work highlights statistics such as “one in four children born into deep poverty will be evicted within the first 15 years of their lives.” Dr. Lentz also points out as eviction is a civil proceeding, defendants do not have the right to council.
Dr. Rosen shared her research on the experience of renters with low incomes in housing court having to navigate an overburdened courtroom. Specifically, her research focused on one courtroom in D.C. in 2018 that there are sets of formal and informal rules, norms, and practices that end up guiding the legal process of eviction in this observed case. It found that tenants were disadvantaged and that advantages were held by landlords. One disadvantage for tenants in this study found that the eviction courtroom was overburdened. A second disadvantage is that around 98% of tenants come to the courtroom without legal counsel.
Jennifer Prusak proposed possible solutions included providing legal counsel to renters with low incomes and expanding the right to counsel in eviction cases. All speakers also emphasized the importance of advocating for change in landlord-tenant relationships to avoid eviction processes and address affordability and fairness. Strategies to address the root causes of eviction included increasing funding for emergency rental assistance, building more affordable housing, and partnering with legal aid organizations.
By Isai Lozano, Policy Intern
