Low-income tenants from unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will have free legal representation when facing possible eviction.
The county Board of Supervisors fine-tunes an ordinance that seeks to extend the benefits of a program that aims to provide legal advice to vulnerable families residing in unincorporated areas.
The program will be put to a final vote next month. by members of the Board of Supervisors, and if approved will go into effect on January 2025.
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The initiative aims to expand the existing Stay Housed LA programwhich is a partnership between the County, the City of Los Angeles, and other community organizations along with legal service providers to offer tenants protection from eviction.
According to Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA)the Stay Housed LA program had helped more than 3,500 tenants by the end of 2023.
“The DCBA anticipates that within this fiscal year alone, more than 15,000 residents within the County who live in unincorporated communities and cities, other than the City of Los Angeles, will seek the services of Stay Housed LA“the department said in a statement.
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In April 2023, the DCBA submitted a report that outlines a framework for making the Stay Housed LA program permanent.
The Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis in July of last year ordering the DCBA to Reassess and update the initial framework for the right to a lawyer program.
Expanded program support will be available to those tenants who have received an eviction notice and whose family income is less than 80% of the area average income.
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Mitchell mentioned that the ordinance will support equity, saying that African American and Hispanic communities face a large number of eviction notices and that the right-to-counsel program is part of a broader vision to ensure that everyone has access to legal representation in both civil and criminal cases regardless of income.
“Once the ordinance goes into effect, it will be an important resource for Provide legal representation to tenants in eviction court“, Supervisor Mitchell said.
The ordinance requires outreach and education efforts, and landlords must notify tenants about the availability of the program, whose notice must be posted on rental properties.
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Violations of any of the requirements would be considered a punishable misdemeanor with a fine of up to $800 dollars or six months in jailor both sanctions.
This program will be funded with resources from the American Rescue Plan Act through the end of fiscal year 2024-2025, and continuing beyond that the county will need to contribute $24.5 million.
County Executive Fesia Davenport said the program was sufficiently funded. until the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, 2025.
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Davenport said his office would work with DCBA to seek funding for the ongoing programand mentioned that costs will surely increase in the future.
Supervisor Mitchell cited DCBA data that as of May 2022, The Stay Housed LA program facilitated over 1,800 full-scope legal cases for county residents living outside the city of Los Angeles.
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Mitchell said that Nearly 97% of cases resulted in tenants remaining in their homes or who reached a favorable agreement to move to a new location, demonstrating the important impact that the program has.
Mitchell cited DCBA data that Since May 2022, “Stay Housed LA has facilitated over 1,800 full-scope legal cases for county residents living outside the city of Los Angeles.”
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