Readout of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta’s Meeting with State Chief Justices
Today, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta met with over 35 Chief Justices of state supreme courts to discuss the housing and eviction crisis confronting the country. The Attorney General thanked the Chief Justices for their work on the issue and highlighted the Associate Attorney General’s recent letter outlining steps that state courts could take to raise awareness of emergency rental assistance and to implement eviction diversion strategies in their jurisdictions. The Attorney General applauded the work in states like Michigan, where the State Supreme Court has issued an order requiring courts to stay eviction proceedings for up to 45 days to allow a tenant to apply for rental assistance. In Texas, the Supreme Court modified the notices that are sent to tenants who are sued for eviction to make sure they are aware of the benefits available to them. Simple steps like these can increase the chance that tenants can stay in their homes and help courts that are being deluged with eviction filings.
The Attorney General also heard from the Chief Justices about the obstacles their courts face in combating the crisis and committed the Department of Justice to doing everything it can to support their efforts. He emphasized that the federal government has made funds available to state courts that are seeking to implement eviction diversion programs, including the $350 billion that the American Rescue Plan allocated to state and local governments and the $46.5 billion Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The President of the National Center for State Courts spoke to the Attorney General about the work the Center has done to support eviction diversion efforts, including creating a diagnostic tool that helps courts fashion diversion programs that best suit their jurisdiction.
The Attorney General asked the Associate Attorney General and Chief Justices to continue working together on this critical issue and to identify obstacles that the federal government can help address.
SOURCE: DOJ
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There is a serious issue to STOP this from getting MUCH WORSE! THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY!
The way that the rental situation is that one on SSI OR SSDI Must have a minimum of 2.5% to 3% of the gross income and a credit score of at least 600 to qualify for a low income housing situation or any other place to live. Yet our government say that IF we try and compete and make that income then we don’t meet the requirements for medical assistance or food assistance. With the elderly especially were no spring chickens anymore and we can’t make that income~ AS MATH DOESN’T LIE! But GOD FORBID IF we TRY then were out! Bringing the ISSUES I PUT FORTH that SOME THINGS MUST CHANGE TO ASSIST THE DISABLED AND THE ELDERLY SO THAT NO ELDER OR DISABLE INDIVIDUAL GET THROWQN TO THE STREET OVER GREED!