Thousands of renters are evicted every year in Philadelphia and many of them don’t have the resources to fight back, according to the city.
Now, local officials are taking aim at neglectful landlords by launching the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project to advocate for renters’ rights.
“Evictions hurt families and communities,” Mayor Jim Kenney said. “Eviction increases rates of unemployment, makes it harder for children to succeed in school, destabilizes neighborhoods and increases shelter costs.”
The program will include services such as a tenant helpline and website, information and connections to legal services inside the courtroom, direct legal representation of tenants, outreach to at risk tenants and financial counseling.
For previous victims of evictions, starting over can feel impossible. Philadelphia resident Barry Thompson told NBC10 he was illegally evicted by a “slumlord” who did not hold up his end of the lease.
“I refused to pay him until he did the repairs and the only thing I asked was ‘You do right by me and I’ll do right by you,” Thompson said.
Instead, he was summoned to court. Thompson reached out to Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, but the organization had little money to help cases like his. But the new eviction prevention project was created to ensure people like Thompson are able to access resources before becoming homeless.
“It's a huge cause of poverty,” Debby Freedman, executive director of Community Legal Services’ local chapter, said. “Children miss school when their family is evicted, their parents are losing jobs.
The new program will offer free legal aid and require landlords to present key documentation about the safety of their properties. If a landlord does not maintain a clean and safe environment, renters are within their legal rights to withhold rent.
“A lot of times landlords will attempt to evict tenants who are exercising their rights,” said George Donnelly from the Public Interest Law Center.
Tenants who are seeking information about their legal rights are encouraged to call the Tenant Legal Aid Referral Line at 267-443-2500 or visit www.phillytenant.org.
