Posted on 12/12/2019 7:55:29 AM PST by karpov
Among the millions of recent eviction cases researchers have begun to compile across the country, there are a startling number of modest sums. There are dozens of families in Texas evicted with money judgments — unpaid rent, late fees, court costs — totaling $516. There are multiple families in Cumberland County, N.C., who owed all of $301. There is a household in Providence, R.I., whose 2016 court record shows a debt of just $127.
Such relatively small sums suggest that, for all of the intractable problems of poverty and affordable housing driving the nation’s eviction crisis, a little intervention could help many people. And politicians in Washington increasingly have such ideas in mind: court translators, more legal aid, mediation — even emergency rent assistance.
One bill, to be introduced in the Senate on Thursday by a Democrat, Michael Bennet of Colorado, and a Republican, Rob Portman of Ohio, would create a federal grant program to fund local emergency aid for tenants at risk of eviction. The bill, which would also establish a national database tracking eviction cases, is the latest in a series of federal proposals aimed at a problem that touches high-cost coastal cities and smaller towns alike.
Several Democratic senators — Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland — introduced a bill this fall that would create federal grants for landlord-tenant mediation programs and translators. In the House, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has introduced a bill that would fund legal aid in states and cities that establish a right to counsel for tenants that is akin to a new mandate in New York City.
And in the Democratic primary, an anti-eviction agenda is now practically a required element of candidates’ housing plans.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Hey, eviction is expensive and traumatic for landlords too. They don’t evict for fun.
Smart landlords are gonna love a government program that makes Uncle Sam co-signer on the lease.
Leftists who feel bad about this are 100% able to donate their own money directly to the person, and help them out. The rest of us have our own damn bills to pay!
Got a great idea! Generous people like the author of this article can organize a private charity so people can voluntarily contribute to this cause. Im sure he will give as much as can afford to lead the way.
I always wish I knew who these people are because I might be willing to help if I knew their story and that they were working productive people. I am not willing to help a pig in a poke.
I am the same way about veterans needing help, if I knew a family and the story I might be willing to help with 20 or so dollars a month. But no way am I sending money to an organization that keeps the money, or most of it.
When I was young the community and churches had great control over people’s behavior by helping those who helped themselves...then the government took over and ...look here we are today.
Here is a game tenants play. The landlord suffers the expense of maybe 1000.00 dollars to hire a lawyer to evict a tenant. Just before the tenant is actually evicted then they pay. Then the eviction is legally over. There payment cannot even be refused. The landlord never collects on the legal expense. The tenant does the same thing the next month.
Geez? What could POSSIBLY go WRONG??? Haven’t these people heard of the Salvation Army?
More whining to Washington.
PING!
Not the federal government’s job.
“Lawyer, can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m being evicted.”
“How much do you owe?”
“$300.00.”
“Well, my retainer is $500.00.”
“Will you take a check?”
This crap is pathetic. Apparently every friggin difficulty on the planet is expected to be solved by the American Federal government. Pretty soon there’s will be legislation about hang-nails, warts, canker sores... the list can be endless.
Amen. Charity freely given used to be the standard. Now it's charity removed by force and distributed to deserving and undeserving alike.
Its called Section 8
Perhaps our deadbeat renters could get another job to pay their own way?
Not surprised. Proposed during Advent/Christmas seasons.
The guy works hard at a job he has had forever, but not enough to pay for a wife and two kid's college.
He only let us know after it had happened. We would have been glad to have helped out on paying the back taxes - he's had the condo for 30 years, no telling what his profit would have been if he had sold it.
Super nice guy - but not the smartest. And I'm sure that his pride got in the way of asking for help. So now he lost it ALL, and is renting a small apartment. His excess furnishings left on the side of the road.
Incorrect.
Regardles of the great jobs reports and the stock market, the middle class is still hurting.
Correct. There is a housing shortage right now. I am seeing rents double in 5 years in Atlanta.
The corporate greed makes it so that many people can’t make more than 15$ an hour.
Incorrect. Do eight-dollars of work, get eight-dollars of pay. It's not corporate greed (liberal concept), it is the Laffer curve.
So that means 2 jobs for many. And some of these people are educated, but lost out during the Obama years.
I'm educated, doing very well. I work hard as hell, though. Today, Sunday, will be spent playing catchup on my work tasks.
Inflation is eating away at them too.
True that. Commodities and rental costs are way up.
The tax bill did not really help these people either.
Incorrect. It helped me a lot.
Trump should know better. He needs to start talking about this.
Correct. There should be some conversation about (especially) rental and housing inflation. Not sure the government should intervene. But something needs to happen.
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