Bennet, Portman Introduce Major Proposal to Tackle the Eviction Crisis

Statement

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today introduced the Eviction Crisis Act to address the national housing crisis crippling millions of Americans who are struggling to rise into the middle class. The new legislation will shed light on the root causes of the eviction crisis, reduce preventable evictions, and limit the devastation to families when eviction is unavoidable.

"Today in America, an unexpected illness, a car accident, or a family emergency can lead to a family being evicted from their home and falling into a cycle of poverty that lasts for years," said Bennet. "The hardship caused by eviction is agonizing for the hundreds of thousands of American families evicted every year -- and it's damaging to our communities. As a former school superintendent, I saw kids unable to stay awake in class because they didn't have a stable place to sleep the night before. And I've heard from many hard-working Coloradans about how one misstep led to their lives falling apart. Our Eviction Crisis Act will put in place bipartisan measures that both prevent eviction and limit the harm when it is unavoidable."

"Stable housing is a vital part of getting people back on their feet. I've long worked on efforts to address homelessness and increase the supply of housing and I'm proud to partner with Senator Bennet on this new bipartisan initiative. This legislation will help prevent avoidable evictions, reduce homelessness, and make it easier for people to escape poverty by keeping a roof over their heads," said Portman.

"Evictions start with the loss of a home and often end with job loss, depression, and becoming further ingrained in the cycle of poverty. Indiana is home to three cities with some of the highest eviction rates in the United States and this legislation takes a number of important steps to work with and support tenants, landlords, and municipalities to help avoid the process of putting another family on the street," said U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), cosponsor of the Eviction Crisis Act.

"Home is the foundation of the rest of our lives: our family connections, our education, our work, and our health. The shortage of affordable housing and evictions tear at that foundation. The Eviction Crisis Act will give our communities new tools to prevent evictions and support vulnerable households," said U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), cosponsor of the Eviction Crisis Act.

Background

Adjusting for inflation, the median rent payment has risen 61% since 1960 while median renter income grew only 5%. In 2016, 2.3 million eviction filings were made in courthouses across the United States--a rate of four every minute. That same year, one in 50 renters was evicted from his or her home. This affordable housing crisis has crippled economic security for families and placed enormous costs on the nation's health care system, courts, schools, and local governments.

In Colorado, five cities ranked in the nation's 100 "Top Evicting Areas" by eviction rate in 2016 (i.e. the number of evictions per 100 renters): Aurora (ranked #33, with a 5.52% eviction rate), Thornton (#48, 4.64%), Colorado Springs (#64, 4.19%), Westminster (#93, 3.16%), and Lakewood (#94, 3.15%). In Denver eviction cases, 90% of landlords are represented by lawyers, compared to just 2% of tenants--consistent with nationwide trends.

In Ohio, six cities also ranked in the nation's 100 "Top Evicting Areas:" Akron (ranked #24, with a 6.06% eviction rate), Dayton (#26, 5.94%), Toledo (#30, 5.63%), Cincinnati (#46, 4.7%), Columbus (#52, 4.55%), and Cleveland (#53, 4.53%).

The Eviction Crisis Act will:

Improve Data and Analysis on Evictions

Creates a national database to standardize data and track evictions, in order to better inform policy decisions.
Establishes a Federal Advisory Committee on Eviction Research to make recommendations related to data collection, as well as policies and practices that can prevent evictions or mitigate their consequences.
Authorizes funding for a comprehensive study to track evictions, analyze landlord-tenant law, and assess varying factors in urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Reduce Preventable Evictions and Mitigate Eviction-Related Consequences

Co-invest in state and local government programs:

Creates a program to fund state and local governments expanding the use of landlord-tenant community courts and increasing the presence of social services representatives for tenants, which help both tenants and landlords avoid the high cost of eviction.
Establishes an Emergency Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance and housing stability-related services to eviction-vulnerable tenants.
Support increased legal representation for tenants:

Expresses support for substantially increasing funding for the Legal Services Corporation, a public-private partnership that provides legal services to low-income Americans.

Improve Information on Tenant Screening Reports

Requires consumer reporting agencies to provide consumers with tenant screening reports when they are requested as part of a rental application process, so tenants can contest and correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
When a court rules in favor of a tenant in an eviction proceeding, requires those judgments and eviction filings related to that proceeding to be removed from tenant screening reports.

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