Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has unveiled a new program designed to help people in danger of being evicted from their homes. The mayor says the program is made up of the Housing Law Center of Rhode Island, Action for Rights and Equality and the Rhode Island Center for Justice and is funded through monies made available for the American Rescue Plan.
“As a former eviction defense attorney, I have seen firsthand the difference having a lawyer can make in someone sleeping with a roof over their head or on the street,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. "I am happy to be building on the prior successes of our eviction defense work, especially in the midst of our state’s current housing crisis, to help our city's most vulnerable residents to stay in their homes and have access to the resources they need."
The program will run for one year and will provide services to residents of the city who earn 65 percent or less of the median income.
The program is more important during these trying time as inflation and other economic issues push residents further and further behind.
“There’s no question that families continue to fall behind and have been unable to keep up with rising rents throughout the city,” said Councilwoman and Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11). “This eviction defense program will provide more breathing room for tenants, up to another year, of much needed assistance. It’s important for tenants facing eviction to have options and this program will give them the tools needed to legally negotiate and come to a compromise with landlords.”
The mayor says the program mimics a similar program that was done back in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. That program helped 775 families and helped save them from eviction.
The mayor says that a clear majority of residents face eviction without legal help. And the program will help level the playing field.
For more information about this program, applicants can visit PVDRescuePlan.com/Apply, contact Rhode Island Legal Services at 401-274-2652, or visit the Tenant Help Desk in the Sixth District Housing Court in Providence.
(Photo Credit: John Baibak. NewsRadioRi)