February 1, 2023
The DC Eviction Prevention Co-Leaders Group believes that cross-sector collaboration among legal services providers, housing counselors, District government agencies, the DC Superior Court, philanthropic organizations, tenant organizers, housing providers, tenants, advocates, and community-based organizations is crucial to preventing eviction, displacement, and homelessness. The overall goal of the Co-Leaders Group is to establish a cross-sector collaborative approach to prevent eviction and displacement of tenants in DC with low incomes and stabilize their housing for the future.DC's eviction moratorium expired in September 2021, after the DC Council implemented legislation phasing out tenant protections instituted during the pandemic, and eviction filings have steadily increased from the beginning of 2022. With fewer eviction protections and the end of STAY DC assistance—combined with high inflation, increased rent prices, stagnant wages, and the ongoing pandemic—eviction filings, judgments, writs, and scheduled evictions will likely continue to increase.Yet the evidence of the harmful effects of evictions on tenants is clear. Housing instability caused and made worse by evictions increases the risk of homelessness and hurts the health, education, and well-being of families with children. Increased homelessness from evictions leads to higher costs to the District for emergency shelter; medical services, particularly the use of emergency departments; and other social services. Evictions are also highly inequitable: decades of policies that restricted the jobs to which Black people had access, stripped families of their wealth, and prevented them from obtaining home loans have led to stark inequities in income and housing along racial lines. Black people in DC are more likely to be renters, face an eviction filing, and ultimately be physically evicted from their homes.Although tenants have more rights in DC than tenants in most other jurisdictions in the United States, there remains an inherent power imbalance in the landlord-tenant relationship. This is particularly true in DC's high-cost rental market, where safe, affordable housing is scarce for tenants with low incomes or those who are legally undocumented and fear retaliation. Landlords typically have legal representation in court and can better navigate the complex eviction process, which can be difficult for tenants to understand. Furthermore, eviction and the threat of eviction lead to immense trauma for tenants and their families, likely negatively affecting their mental and physical health.The goal of the Co-Leaders Group is to prevent avoidable evictions.
