Grant program · October 2021 – September 2022 · Concluded
Eviction Tsunami Grants
In 2021, The California Endowment provided the California Access to Justice Commission with funding to strengthen the legal aid community’s capacity to represent and assist low-income BIPOC families and individuals in jeopardy of losing their housing because of back-rent due to COVID-19.
At a glance
$637,500
Regranted to seven legal aid organizations and their collaborations with community-based organizations.
7
Legal aid organizations, with grants ranging from $45,000 to $116,875.
5
Regions served: Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Sacramento, and San Francisco Bay Area counties.
12
Target languages, including Spanish, Thai, Arabic, Somali, Pashto, and Farsi.
Purpose
Why the grants were created
At the end of the grant year, subgrantees report that the eviction tsunami for low‑income tenants has indeed hit – increases in eviction cases were as high as 250% of the level before the COVID‑19 moratorium. The State rental assistance program ended in March and subgrantees saw a surge of tenants in jeopardy of losing their housing.
Throughout the grant period, it has been abundantly clear that the eviction process exacerbates the racial disparities that already exist. Communities of color and other low‑income or marginalized populations were hit hardest by the pandemic, and their families were the slowest to recover economically.
The stated purpose of this grant
“Addressing Evictions During COVID‑19 to Support Health and Equity: To strengthen legal aid capacity to represent and assist low‑income Black and Indigenous families and individuals and people of color in California who are in jeopardy of losing their housing and experiencing related health impacts because of back rent due to the COVID‑19 pandemic.”
Goals
The three grant goals
Goal 1
Increased capacity among legal aid organizations in the Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Sacramento, and San Francisco Bay Area Counties to respond to the growing demand from low‑income BIPOC families and individuals for assistance related to housing matters.
Goal 2
Increased capacity among tenants in low‑income BIPOC communities to: (1) navigate and access federal and state resources for rent relief; and, (2) achieve better outcomes through settlement or at trial, e.g., avoid a court record of eviction, negotiate rent waiver, other cost reduction, or more time to move out so tenants can find transitional or other housing and thereby avoid homelessness.
Goal 3
Enhanced collaboration between legal aid and community‑based organizations, including tenant rights organizations, that are working to keep people in housing.
Who received funding
Grantees and their community partners
The Access Commission regranted $637,500 to seven legal aid organizations and their collaborations with community‑based organizations with grants ranging from $45,000 to $116,875.
$116,875
Centro Legal de la Raza
Communities served: Latinx communities in Alameda and hard‑hit Contra Costa County
Partners: Hayward Collective, Causa Justa, La Familia, EBASE, East Bay Housing Organizations, Monument Impact and Freedom Community Clinic, Faith in Action, My Eden Voice, Tenant and Neighborhood Councils, First 5 Contra Costa
Quote
“We continue to learn the lesson that scaling up and building new community relationships takes a significant amount of consistent time and effort. Attending 1‑2 community meetings with a new partner is insufficient. As a result, we dedicated significant time to showing up to community events in person and inviting community partners to join our workshops, while joining community partners’ meetings and community events. For example, we recently joined a community action to prevent a tenant from being illegally locked out of their unit through community presence and support. Because of our close relationship with Monument Impact Center, one of their organizers informed us of the community action event. As a result, we were able to attend the community action to prevent the tenant’s illegal lockout, write a letter on behalf of the tenant to their landlord, and advise the tenant on their rights against self‑help evictions.”
$116,875
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
Communities served: Latinx and other BIPOC families in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
Partners: Youth United for Community Action, Nuestra Casa, The Primary School and Faith in Action
Story
Over the summer, the largest landlord in East Palo Alto began issuing three‑day notices and filing eviction complaints, jeopardizing hundreds of families’ tenancies. Partners of Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) educated tenants of their rights and directed tenants to CLSEPA. CLSEPA provided legal advice and representation, and was also able to connect many of the tenants to local rental assistance providers; which was crucial given that state assistance had ended. In the majority of cases, CLSEPA was able to help them respond and negotiate to either stay in their homes or get additional time to relocate and avoid homelessness.
$65,000
Legal Services of Northern California
Communities served: Black and Latinx families in Del Paso Heights and North Highlands in Sacramento
Partners: Sacramento Act and Her Health First
Quote
“The pandemic reduced our ability to provide legal information for large groups of people through in‑person know‑your‑rights events. LSNC relied on our partners to relay the information from the train‑the‑trainers events to their client communities. This shift initially felt like a challenge but quickly became a benefit. The trusted partners, who had existing relationships, were able to dispel misinformation and myths and deliver much‑needed legal information.”
$116,875
Open Door Legal
Communities served: Low‑income BIPOC communities in the Bayview/Hunters Point, Western Addition and Excelsior districts of San Francisco
Partners: Daybreak, SF Housing Development Corporation, and Neighbors United for D5
Quote
“This quarter was incredibly educational for our team. It illuminated the new legal trends surrounding eviction cases and has helped our Housing Team lay the groundwork as they determine how to navigate the storm of cases brought on by the midst of the eviction tsunami. The greatest lesson learned has been around—as we suspected—strengthening our team to manage the increasing workload.”
$60,000
Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans
Communities served: Black, African, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian (BAMEMSA) communities in San Diego, and specifically Syrian, Kurdish and Afghan families in El Cajon
Partners: San Diego Volunteer Legal Services Program, Legal Aid Society of San Diego, University of San Diego Clinics, and 12 core grassroots community organizations
Story
In an ongoing and complicated case, Partnership for Advancement of New Americans (PANA) helped an 84‑year‑old senior successfully stop an eviction process in an affordable housing unit.
$45,000
Public Law Center
Communities served: Predominantly Latinx and Vietnamese families in Orange County
Partners: Latino Health Access, VietRISE and Tenants United
Story
Public Law Center (PLC) assisted a tenant in a nonpayment case. The tenant had not been properly served with a 30‑day notice and PLC propounded discovery requests on the issue. The landlord ultimately dismissed the case and served PLC’s client with a proper notice, thereby providing the client with a second opportunity to cure the nonpayment, which they did. The client was able to prevent homelessness.
$116,875
Thai Community Development Center
Communities served: Predominantly Thai and Latinx communities in Los Angeles County, including San Gabriel Valley
Partners: Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles, Maryvale, Chinatown Service Center
Story
Thai CDC received a call from a Thai tenant with mold and pests in her room, which her landlord refused to address. While very concerned about her health, the tenant could not afford to move and felt stuck. Thai CDC explained her right to a clean, livable space, and offered to connect her to legal aid. At first, she was reluctant because she was afraid she did not have the English language skills to communicate with a lawyer, but when Thai CDC assured her that they would work with the organization to make sure translation and other support is available, she agreed. Thai CDC made the referral, and the client received services.
Results
A view from the numbers
While the power of these grant funds lies in the long‑term impact of strengthened relationships and power‑building in low‑income BIPOC communities, we can get a measure of the impact from the numbers served.
896+
Tenants served through direct legal consultation or representation by Centro Legal de la Raza in the last six months of the grant.
296
Pre‑eviction or active eviction cases in which Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto provided legal services in the last six months.
31
Families whose right to remain in their homes CLSEPA enforced, out of 85 eviction cases closed in the final quarter.
$200K+
In pandemic rent debt waived for 20 families served by CLSEPA.
116
New full‑scope cases opened by Open Door Legal in the last six months, 71 of them eviction defense.
250+
Unique individuals educated through PANA’s in‑person Know Your Rights trainings with partners.
245+
Families helped by LSNC‑supervised volunteer attorneys to apply for rental assistance in Sacramento County.
75+
Thai tenants Thai CDC helped apply for the HUD Section 8 waitlist, which opens only once every five years.
Selection Committee
The Eviction Tsunami Grants Selection Committee was comprised of members with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. The Selection Committee met over the course of three months to carefully review and select recommended grant recipients for Executive Committee approval.
Catherine Blakemore, Chair
James Head
Zachary Hoover
Chris Punongbayan
Kent Qian
Carmen Ramirez
Lena Robinson
Reports and documents
Final report to The California Endowment (December 2022, PDF) →
Award information for each grantee (PDF) →
The Access Commission and the subgrantees that it serves are immensely grateful to The California Endowment for creating this opportunity.