This legislation would require the Department of Justice to establish a grant program for states and local jurisdictions to support landlord-tenant focused community courts.
This legislation would require the Department of Justice to establish a grant program for states and local jurisdictions to support landlord-tenant focused community courts that make social-service representatives available to assist tenants in becoming current on any debts owed to the landlord or in transitioning to a new, stable home environment. It would also require Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to award grants for states and local and tribal governments to establish crisis-assistance programs to prevent extremely low-income households from experiencing housing instability during periods of crisis. HUD would also have to establish a grant program for local governments and nonprofit organizations to collect data from landlords on illegal evictions and maintain a database regarding various forms of evictions. Lastly, it would have the Government Accountability Office study evictions and report to Congress on the grants awarded under the bill, including best estimates of any amounts saved and any additional revenues generated.
This legislation has been authored by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Rob Portman (R-OH) Todd Young (R-IN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH)