Johnson Pushes Permanent Rental Assistance as Evictions Rise

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Housing want to make the Right to Counsel Pilot Program permanent to provide rental assistance and curb evictions.

The program, launched in July 2022 and funded with $8 million through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, was created with federal stimulus money during the early years of the pandemic. It currently provides legal assistance to tenants facing eviction if they meet specific criteria, such as experiencing Covid-related hardships.

Johnson last month proposed an ordinance that, if passed, would extend the program’s benefits to all eligible tenants, regardless of whether their housing crisis is directly linked to the pandemic, the Chicago Tribune reported. The eligibility criteria restricts the program to households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income, which is $61,800 per year or less for a household of one in 2023. By removing the pandemic-related stipulation, the program would provide legal assistance to a broader range of tenants.

Eviction filings in Cook County have returned to pre-pandemic levels due to a federal eviction moratorium getting lifted in 2021. There were 18,000 cases filed this year through August, the newspaper reported, while last year, there were 29,000 filings, which was about the same amount as in 2019.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office this year had enforced more 5,600 evictions through September, compared to about 4,500 in 2022, which marked about a 30 percent decrease compared to 2019, the outlet reported, citing data from the sheriff’s office.

Many evictions have occurred in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, reflecting national trends. The program has already significantly improved tenants’ ability to secure stable housing, its proponents said.

If the City Council approves the proposed ordinance, Chicago will join other cities such as Baltimore and New York in providing a legal safety net for tenants facing eviction.

While the initiative aims to support tenants, it has also garnered some support from attorneys who represent landlords, who believe that fair representation benefits all parties involved in eviction cases. Without such programs, experts estimate that just 10 percent of tenants would have legal representation in eviction cases.

— Quinn Donoghue