TITLE
Title
EVICTION MEDIATION AND TENANCY SUPPORT PROGRAM PROPOSAL
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Heather Skeens, DHHS Director (Sharon Barlow)
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BACKGROUND
Background
This proposal was developed by the UNC Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies (CHCS) in response to an invitation to apply for funding from Guilford County Government. The proposed project builds upon existing CHCS programs to address the needs of vulnerable, low-income communities experiencing housing instability and potential evictions. The proposed project will: address impending evictions that have resulted from COVID19; assist residents with underlying issues causing housing instability; and build resiliency, leadership skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy in these communities to address future housing needs.
Our goals are to preserve tenancy, reduce cost-burden, strengthen community efficacy, and assure landlords of being reimbursed for rental arrears. Our proposed intervention to address housing instability in Guilford County has three key components: 1) a triage system of housing counseling and resource navigation that will guide tenants through options to address rental arrears, address cost burden, and connect with existing resources in the community (including but not limited to the ERAP and other COVID-19 resources); 2) an eviction mediation service that facilitates a resolution to pending or eminent evictions; and 3) a training program to build capacity in vulnerable and low-income renter communities to address the factors which may lead to eviction and/or housing instability.
The proposed project will address several gaps of need for residents that have been hard hit by COVID-19 and for whom existing community assistance is limited or non-existent. Providing residents access to information and assistance that can enable them to remain in their current housing, improve the safety and quality of their housing, and participate in the improvement of the housing within the...
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