Last night the United States Supreme Court struck down the CDC’s Eviction Moratorium, which was protecting millions of renters from eviction and communities across the country from the increased community spread of COVID-19 that evictions will cause.

If you are facing eviction now that the moratorium has ended, please reach out to us at (504) 596-2100. We also encourage anyone who is behind on rent to apply for rental assistance through their state or parish Emergency Rental Assistance Programs.

We know that this is devastating news, but we also have the opportunity to take a HUGE step right now to protect thousands of New Orleans renters from eviction. Currently only 6% of families in eviction court— who are disproportionately Black women—have access to an attorney. The Mayor and City Council are beginning the budget process for next year. Now is the time to tell them we need to fully fund Right to Counsel in New Orleans eviction courts.

Evictions were an emergency before the pandemic and will continue to be after. 5,157 families (or 6.7% of all renters) are removed from their homes in New Orleans in a normal year. Communities that faced discriminatory policies like redlining in the past are hit the hardest.

Funding a Right to Counsel in eviction court will level the playing field, decrease evictions and homelessness, stabilize families, and save money.

• Louisville, Cleveland, Newark, Baltimore, and Milwaukee have all funded RTC policies in the past five years to level the playing field.
• In New York, evictions declined by 41% since RTC was implemented in 2013. San Francisco saw a 10% drop in eviction filings in the first year.
• RTC will only cost $2 million in New Orleans, or less than 0.2% of the city budget, but is expected to save millions.
• Multiple analyses by STOUT have shown that jurisdictions should expect to save at least $3 for every $1 invested in RTC.

Want to do more to support this campaign? You can also download a flyer about this issue to share with your networks here. If you are part of an organization or business, we also hope you’ll consider signing on in support of the RTC Coalition, which you can do here.