Tenants at risk of eviction now have access to rental assistance and legal advice through a program Boulder refers to as Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Services.
The city has been working to support this program since the No Eviction Without Representation measure was passed last November. In addition to providing brokerage and legal services as well as rental support for tenants in Boulder, the company forms a five-member tenant committee to contribute to the program.
These services are paid for by a new annual excise tax of $ 75 payable by landlords for each property they operate with a rental license. According to the initiative’s electoral language, it is expected to raise $ 1.9 million in its first fiscal year.
Since the program officially began at the beginning of the year, it has developed rapidly. The city has signed a $ 50,000 contract with the local nonprofit Bridge to Justice, which provides legal services. The six-month contract allows the city to offer services immediately, while being flexible as the program evolves.
“While it won’t prevent all evictions, it will ensure that legal representation and resources are available to all residents at risk of eviction,” said Kristin Hyser, associate director of housing and human services at Boulder, during the Boulder City Council study session on Tuesday.
This is important, according to information on the No Eviction Without Representation website, as 2% of Boulder County renters come before an eviction court with legal counsel, compared with 88% of landlords.
Recently, city officials have said it is typical to see tenants in court who have fallen behind in rent due to financial challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this scenario, the attorney would advise them to seek their protection under the federal eviction moratorium, and the program coordinator would connect them to rental assistance through the Boulder County’s Housing Helpline.
“Not only does this benefit the tenant, but it also gives the landlord financial security and allows them to keep their tenant instead of having an abrupt lease disruption and dealing with the unit release process,” said Carin Armstrong, coordinating the city community placement program .
Another focus of Boulder’s new eviction prevention and rental assistance services is proactive communication to ensure that those affected by evictions inform the city of their eviction and rental assistance services ahead of their court hearing. The sooner the better, Armstrong said, especially since those who fail to appear before an eviction court receive an “standard automatic eviction.”
There have been 33 cases on file since the program began on January 1. Four of them were based in Boulder. Those who live in Boulder are eligible for the program and have access to an attorney. Those out of town will meet with a community mediator. Most clients use a combination of legal services, rental support and mediation, depending on the city.
Thirty-three cases have been slim since newly elected President Joe Biden extended the eviction moratorium to at least March 31 due to the pandemic, Armstrong noted.
Ruy Arango, who led the No Eviction Without Representation campaign, noted this and said it was important that the program go into effect if the moratorium is lifted.
“The need is great and will grow when these eviction moratoriums eventually run out,” he said. “All of these moratoria are driving the major mass evictions.”
In the future, the city will hire a permanent coordinator for the program and two additional staff, one full-time and one temporary worker, to assist with the administrative and financial work related to the program. In addition, officials said they need to revise the regulation to ensure its effectiveness and that they still need to work on the tax collection process.
Overall, Arango said he was pleased with the speed at which the program had progressed.
However, he hopes the city will move faster on the tenants’ committee as this is to ensure that the tenant’s perspective is central to the program. Currently, the city has added tenants’ committee hiring and seating arrangements to its schedule in winter 2021 or 2022.
“In all honesty, I think that people who work and rent their houses will only see one glimpse of this program that people who don’t have to rent their houses will not,” said Arango.
Councilor Aaron Brockett reiterated that sentiment on Tuesday, suggesting that the city form the committee by mid-year instead of waiting until early 2022.
“Your voices could be very helpful in developing the program,” he said.
The staff had no objection to this suggestion. However, they found that the Boulder City Council must first determine how the nominated individuals will be selected.
For more information, see bouldercolorado.gov/community-relations/eviction-prevention-services. This website contains a phone number and an online application for services.