Sunday, December 22, 2019

Suggestions for reducing evictions of tenants in subsidized housing

1)  Don't allow landlords to file eviction cases against subsidized tenants without first attending mediation.

2)  Implement an automatic outreach to subsidized tenants who receive eviction notices.

3) Withold the subsidized rent portion from landlords who file eviction cases until the cases are resolved.  Only make the retroactive payments if the landlords win.  As things are now, landlords know that they will continue to be guaranteed the majority of the rent each month no matter how they treat subsidized tenants.

4)  Hold subsidized tenants responsible for continuing to pay their rent portion each month.

5)  Address housing discrimination against subsidized tenants.  Make sure that landlords and tenants know that landlords have to treat their subsidized tenants with the same courtesy and consideration that they use for their nonsubsidized tenants.  Nobody asks to be impoverished.  As far as taking money from the government is concerned, the landlords are doing that when they're paid the subsidies, so there really is no reason for the pervasive, negative attitudes and behaviors from landlords toward their subsidized tenants.