Housing Task Force
Background
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, from July 16-21, 2020, 26.5% of American households were considered housing insecure, an increase from 22.1% in June of that year. The Aspen Institute predicted that 30-40 million renters — as much as 43% of all renter households in the U.S. — could be at risk of eviction in the last five months of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis have exacerbated concerns about evictions in many communities.
To address the pressing need for more information about the impact of laws and procedures on evictions, Congress directed the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to conduct an extensive study on the subject in the committee report that accompanied the Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2020 (P.L. 116-93) (the “Eviction Study”).
In addition to the research and analysis mandated by Congress, LSC's Board of Directors created a Housing Task Force to work in tandem with the Eviction Study to both highlight the findings of the Study and to raise awareness about the devastating impact of illegal evictions, housing instability related to manufactured homes, long-term motel rentals and foreclosures, as well as housing issues compounded or caused by other vulnerabilities.
The Housing Task Force brings together an interdisciplinary, cross-sector group of experts — including legal aid providers and private attorneys, business and community leaders, technology professionals, thought leaders, and members of the judiciary — to:
- Highlight the findings of the Eviction Study to raise awareness about the devastating impact of evictions and other causes of housing insecurity;
- Recommend strategies for engaging private attorneys to provide legal assistance on a pro bono basis on evictions and the subject included within the Eviction Study; and
- Profile model programs that provide effective legal services or information to those facing eviction and other housing issues.
To learn more about LSC's Eviction Study, a congressionally-directed investigation of evictions as a legal process and the scope of unmet legal needs involving eviction at the state and local level, here.
For a look at previous LSC task forces, click here.
Housing Task Force Co-Chairs
Housing Task Force Members
Kimberly Boudreaux
Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities of Acadiana
Paulette Brown*
Past President, American Bar Association
Partner, Locke Lord LLP
Colleen Cotter
Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
The Honorable Charles S. Crompton*
Judge, San Francisco Superior Court, Department 19
The Honorable Fern A. Fisher
Special Assistant to the Dean for Social Justice Initiatives at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.
Former Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, New York City Courts
Shawntelle Fisher
Executive Director, The SoulFisher Ministries
Rhea Gertken
Nevada Legal Services, Inc.
Cesiah Guadarrama Trejo
Associate State Director, 9-5 Colorado
Adam Heintz
Pro Bono Counsel, Legal Services of New York City
Matthew Keenan
LSC Board Member
Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
John G. Levi
LSC Board Chair
Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
The Honorable Lora Livingston*
Presiding Judge, 261st Civil District Court of Texas
Katrina Logan^
Director Economic Advancement Program, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
Jo-Ann M. Marzullo
Attorney, Ligris + Associates PC
Chair of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the American Bar Association
Laurie Mikva
LSC Board Member
Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Thomas W. Mitchell
Professor of Law and Co-Director, Program in Real Estate and Community Development Law, Texas A&M University School of Law
2020 MacArthur Fellow
Michael Neal
Senior Research Associate, Housing Finance Policy Center, Urban Institute
Julie Patiño
Executive Director, A Way Home Washington
David Pearson
Shawmut Education
Raphael F. Ramos
Eviction Defense Project Director and Milwaukee Housing Unit Supervisor, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.
Samantha Sanchez^
Director, Social Justice Sector, Techbridge
Joseph Singer
Professor, Harvard Law School
Nick Smithberg
Executive Director, Iowa Legal Aid
Esther Sullivan
Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado Denver
Maria Thomas-Jones
Chief Executive Officer, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
Laura Tuggle
Executive Director, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
Nicole Upano
Director Public Policy, National Apartment Association
Gloria Valencia-Weber
LSC Board Member
Professor Emerita, University of New Mexico School of Law
John Whitelaw
Legal Advocacy Director, Delaware Community Legal Aid Society
Marquita Wise-Jones
Secretary of the Board, Maryland Legal Aid
David Zapolsky*
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Amazon
* Denotes member of LSC's Leaders Council or ^ Emerging Leaders Council
Housing Insecurity in the United States and the role of Legal Aid
While the COVID-19 pandemic increased overall demand for civil legal assistance, the number of people seeking help with housing issues grew at a disproportionate rate. In 2021, legal aid organizations funded by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) closed over 713,000 cases, including over 250,000 housing cases. It was the first time that LSC grantees handled more housing cases than any other legal problem area.
During this period, LSC launched a congressionally directed study to investigate the unmet legal needs surrounding eviction in the United States, along with a Housing Task Force to document other challenges that low-income tenants and homeowners experience.
The Housing Task Force is sharing what it learned about housing insecurity and the role of civil legal aid in helping low-income individuals and families achieve stability and security in a four-part series.
