Thread by @JheanelleW

I’m in Rockville this morning observing Landlord-Tenant Court - Failure to Pay Rent cases. More updates to come. #HousingJustice #evictioncrisis

It was a heartbreaking day in Rent Court, and I have many thoughts to share. First, a reminder that current federal and state protections are set to expire in the coming weeks. These protections were the ONLY thing that kept countless families from being evicted today.

With fed & state eviction protections set to expire soon, a reminder that my legislation to keep protection policies in place sat in the state senate for 3 weeks before running out of time ahead a final vote on Sine Die. The state could have and should have stepped up. #forshame

Today, Failure to Pay Rent (FTPR) cases were called for families who were behind on their rent ranging $1k to $14k arrears. Almost all of them had a COVID-related circumstance and many had previously contracted COVID.

Today, renters who wanted attorneys were able to obtain them on-the-spot through @MDLegalAid. Legal Aid attorneys and vols like @GoldbergforMD are HEROES. Tenants with this free representation were able to successfully use the federal protection to get a reserved judgement

With a reserved judgment, the eviction is still there BUT it won’t be acted upon until after the protection orders expire (again, imagine the impact of my bill to keep the protections in place under state).

Judge Bills was the judge today and she acted with fairness and compassion. She took her time and answered questions and gave explanations with patience. Judges matter and have pretty broad discretion over interpretation of the protections.

We need a strong combination of tools in place to overcome this crisis: swift and robust rental assistance, long-term POLICY PROTECTIONS to keep renters housed, attorneys for all tenants, more resources for @MDLegalAid, & comprehensive outreach to renters on their rights.

🗣We must pass Just Cause eviction legislation. Landlords continue to use non-renewal of lease as a loophole for a quicker eviction with no protections for the renters. These just cause cases are starting to increase, according to tenant attorneys.