An ounce of eviction prevention is worth a pound of eviction cure
One of the most significant factors in failed landlord-tenant relations is simply unmet expectations and differing understandings of tenants’ and landlords’ rights and responsibilities.
And yet, the current strategy for keeping tenants housed is to delay evictions by having Legal Aid kick the can down the road, postponing the inevitable and burning bridges along the way. The unintended consequence of this strategy is that landlords give up and take their units off the market.
If the State of Vermont is serious about establishing long-term sustainable housing for its most vulnerable population, it will invest in tenant education and support upfront, not after the landlord has an eviction docket number.
The current state budget includes millions of dollars for emergency housing (motels), the landlord relief program, and the eviction prevention program. Still, there is nothing to prepare those needing long-term tenancy by educating and supporting them as they pursue long-term housing.
Consider the Burlington Housing Authority’s experience with its recurring sewage problems that required an educational program for the tenants on using the sinks and toilets, something basic yet not so basic. Is this something that could have been addressed in a program that prepares Vermonters for tenancy?
A large organization such as the Burlington Housing Authority might be able to hire an educator to work with residents. Still, Vermont’s average rental property owner is hard-pressed to get a plunger to the plugged toilet, let alone conduct an education series on maintaining safe and healthy housing.
The only tool in the toolbox for Landlords is a lease violation, which only serves to alienate and initiate the beginning of the adversarial relationship that often ends up in eviction court.
I propose to look to Tacoma, Washington, which has a landlord liaison program that works with prospective tenants to prepare them for tenancy. The organization certifies that the participants are qualified and puts funds into an escrow account to guarantee performance. It supports the tenants as they move forward.
I propose that the State of Vermont put equal amounts of money into the prevention of eviction through education and preparation as it does for the cure of eviction through the Landlord Relief Program, Eviction Prevention, and Motel vouchers.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) has free Renter Workshops that are very comprehensive. Graduates receive Preferred Renter Certificates, demonstrating to landlords that the applicant is invested, is knowledgeable, and is connected to a coach.
Here’s the bottom line: There are 2413 empty housing units in Rutland County, approximately 240 in Rutland City. These numbers come from the Vermont Housing Finance Agency in a Housing Assessment commissioned for the Rutland Regional Planning Commission.
It is incumbent on the State of Vermont to discern why there are so many empty units and to determine what can be done to fill them with qualified, prepared, educated, and supported tenants. It is imperative that the State of Vermont put its energy up front, preventing evictions, not just waiting until it’s too late and then kicking the can down the road and calling delayed evictions a victory.
Us Housers have a message for the many housing agencies and authorities we deal with: We can’t afford to house your clients unless you educate them in advance and stay with them through the tenancy.
One of the recurring complaints from Housers in the housing workshops I’ve participated in over the last 18 months was that agencies work hard to house their clients, but once the lease is signed and the keys have been handed over, the agency disappears.
As one Houser put it, “I feel like we become the parents of adult children!” Feedback from participants in the housing workshops and meetings indicates that housing units are vacant because the cost of filling them is greater than the cost of letting them go fallow.
Programs such as the Landlord Relief Program and the Eviction Prevention Program can certainly soften the financial blow when a landlord-tenant relationship goes bad, but they only soften the blow; it doesn’t prevent it.
I contend that there is a significant vulnerable population that does not qualify for traditionally screened housing (prior housing history, references, employment history, credit score, previous evictions, etc.), and they need assistance upfront and support along the way in order to move into sustainable, long-term housing.
The focus needs to shift from end-of-relationship eviction court cures to positive preparation for tenancy programming that ensures that Vermonters are all in sync on their rights and responsibilities.
Stephen Box is a housing provider in Rutland County, developing, renovating, and managing residential properties. Contact Stephen at VermontHouser [at] gmail.com or 802-342-4940.
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