amit motwani

Affordability, Housing, Affordable Housing Forum View All Reponses >>

Nearly one in five renters have difficulty paying rent, leading to formal and informal evictions. Evictions have long lasting detrimental economic effects on households. What city policies and roles can the city play to prevent formal and informal evictions among low income tenants?

Renters are typically lower MFI; evictions are most commonly caused by missed rent payments, a direct result of affordability challenges. As such, support and assistance in other avenues of affordability that factor into household costs is integral to mitigating eviction risk; in addition, lower MFI renters and families who are facing eviction are typically confronting more than one issue associated with immediate need and often require more profound intervention and support to solve for systemic problems that might perpetuate affordability crises (e.g. inaccessible costs of medication, food insecurity, transportation challenges, lack of access to child care precludes retention and/or attainment of employment). As such, increased investment in Health and human services, particularly coordinated social service and crisis intervention support is a critical step
Improved access to economic opportunity is inextricable from this conversation, as improved wages would certainly mitigate potential for evictions. Intentional and coordinated efforts to bring “soft-skill” and other applicable middle-skills job training and education (and related supports as mentioned above) that weave together public (City county)/private (employers, chambers, schools, nonprofit service providers) partnerships must be fostered.
To be clear, rent and utility payment assistance programs + financial counseling and money
management programs are foundational elements the above listed formula.