Wells Fargo Funds Legal Assistance for Renters at Risk of Eviction
24 September 2020 - 11:15PM
Business Wire
Wells Fargo Foundation donates $5.4 million to 15
organizations to help keep people affected by COVID-19
housed
Up to 40 million U.S. renters impacted by the COVID-19-related
economic downturn could face eviction once federal rental
protections end, according to research from the Aspen Institute and
the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. In response to this emerging
crisis and as part of its $175 million commitment to COVID relief,
Wells Fargo is donating $5.4 million in grants to 15 legal
assistance organizations that work to keep people and families
housed through services and advocacy efforts. A Harvard study has
shown that two-thirds of tenants with legal representation are more
likely to avoid an eviction judgment and remain in their home.
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While the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a temporary
moratorium halting the eviction of tenants who cannot pay rent
through the end of the year, the moratorium requires that tenants
must still file a federal declaration form to be eligible for the
eviction protection. Additionally, tenants are obligated to
navigate varying state laws and local legal proceedings.
Lack of legal representation for low-income people is a glaring
equity gap. Harvard researchers found an estimated 90% of landlords
have legal representation, while only 10% of tenants do, putting
them at a significant disadvantage. People of color, particularly
Black and Hispanic tenants, represent 80% of people at risk of
eviction, according to the Aspen Institute.
“The economic fallout caused by COVID-19 is causing housing
instability for far too many renters, including for Black and
Hispanic families,” said Eileen Fitzgerald, head of housing
affordability philanthropy with the Wells Fargo Foundation. “As we
continue to look for ways to help people stay in their homes, Wells
Fargo believes supporting these organizations’ ability to provide
legal assistance is an important step to helping people avoid
eviction, which is often the first step toward additional financial
instability and possibly homelessness.”
Through this first-of-its-kind initiative from the Wells Fargo
Foundation, the grants will enable the organizations to provide
free or low-cost legal counseling and representation to people at
risk of eviction, advance advocacy work, and identify solutions to
mitigate evictions across the U.S., including for people of color
disproportionately affected by the economic downturn caused by
COVID-19.
“Legal services attorneys play a crucial role in enforcing
tenants' rights and preventing evictions,” said Shamus Roller,
executive director of the National Housing Law Project. “Preventing
evictions and preserving the rights of tenants are major racial
justice issues, given our country's long history of segregation and
the inequalities that play out in our current housing system.
Evictions have always jeopardized the health and well-being of
families but COVID-19 has raised the stakes, demonstrating the
importance of eviction defense and rental assistance. Tenants who
need help understanding the new moratorium, filling out their
declaration form, or who have questions about eligibility should
contact a legal services provider.”
Wells Fargo Foundation grant recipients in support of providing
legal assistance to renters at risk of eviction include:
- Atlanta Legal Aid Society
- Bay Area Legal Aid
- Colorado Legal Services
- Community Legal Services (Philadelphia)
- Greater Miami Legal Services
- Housing Opportunities Made Equal (Richmond, VA)
- Lawyers Committee for Better Housing (Chicago)
- Legal Aid of North Carolina
- Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
- Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
- National Housing Law Project
- Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
- Southeast Louisiana Legal Services
- Texas Rio Grande Legal Services
- Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham
The company is focusing on deploying philanthropic support to
nonprofits to help individuals, families, entrepreneurs and
communities with a focus on assisting racially and ethnically
diverse people disproportionally affected by the pandemic. As part
of this effort, the Wells Fargo Foundation has awarded more than
1,200 housing grants in response to COVID-19.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified,
community-based financial services company with $1.98 trillion in
assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial
needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and
headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking,
investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer
and commercial finance, through 7,400 locations, more than 13,000
ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has
offices in 31 countries and territories to support customers who
conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 263,000
team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the
United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on
Fortune’s 2020 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News,
insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at
Wells Fargo Stories.
Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com |
Twitter: @WellsFargo.
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Media Ruth Villalonga (817) 304-6475
Ruth.Villalonga@wellsfargo.com @rvillalongaWF
(or)
Chris Hammond (415) 310-9152 Chris.L.Hammond@wellsfargo.com
@ChrisHammondWF
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