Continuing efforts to provide protections to renters, the county Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance Tuesday to extend a program that provides free legal representation to low-income tenants in unincorporated areas facing eviction.
The program, which will take effect Jan. 1, will expand the existing Stay Housed LA program -- a partnership between the county, city of Los Angeles and other community organizations and legal service providers to provide tenants with eviction defense.
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According to the county Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, the Stay Housed program had helped more than 3,500 tenant households as of the end of 2023.
"DCBA projects that within this fiscal year alone, over 15,000 residents that live in unincorporated communities and cities, other than the city of Los Angeles, from within the county will seek Stay Housed L.A.'s services," according to an agency statement.
In April 2023, the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs filed a report outlining a framework to make the Stay House LA program permanent. In July of last year, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis directing the DCBA to reassess and update the initial framework for the right-to-counsel program.
The extended program will be available for tenants who have received an eviction notice and whose household income is less than 80% of the area median income.
Mitchell said the ordinance will support equity, noting that Black and Brown communities face a large number of eviction notices and that the right-to-counsel program "is a part of a larger vision to achieve universal access to legal representation for every Angeleno in both civil and criminal cases where L.A. residents regardless of income, will have the ability to access affordable legal services."
The ordinance also calls for outreach and education efforts, with landlords required to notify tenants of the program's availability. Notice of the program also must be posted at rental properties. Violations of any of the requirements would be considered a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $800 or six months in jail, or both.
The program will be funded primarily with American Rescue Plan Act dollars through the end of the 2024-25 fiscal year. But continuing the program beyond that will require the county to come up with $24.5 million.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger raised concerns about the uncertainty of the future funding. County CEO Fesia Davenport noted that the program had funding until the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, 2025.
"Beyond 2025, this would qualify for Measure H dollars as a possible backfill, so that would basically be a policy decision of the board," Davenport said, referring to county's the anti-homelessness sales tax.
Davenport said her office would work with DCBA to seek out funding for the continuing program, noting that the costs are sure to increase over time.
Mitchell cited DCBA data that since May 2022, "Stay Housed LA has facilitated over 1,800 full scope legal cases for the county residents who live outside the city of Los Angeles. Nearly 97% of these have resulted in either the tenants (staying) in their home, or a favorable settlement to move to a new place. This data demonstrates this program's important impact for our county residents."
Solis added, "We're not just one county that's thinking about this -- there are 17 cities that have adopted similar ordinances in five states."
Solis said the county was on "the right track here."
Also citing DCBA numbers, Solis said roughly 10,200 households were served with eviction notices last year and 90% of tenants face unlawful detainers without representation. She said the program would potentially support 9,000 individuals.
Mitchell said the county is also working on efforts to help small property owners. She said a report by the Department of Economic Opportunity with recommendations for supporting such owners is still pending.
"As we discussed last summer, I continue to hear from small property owners in my district, many of whom are Black and Brown, that the county's housing laws are complex for them to navigate -- for both small mom-and-pop landlords, as well as tenants alike."
Kelly Lobianco, director of the DEO, said the report is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
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