fall 2021 justice in action

In August, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the Center for Disease Control’s federal moratorium on evictions, stripping families of their most important housing protection in a surging pandemic. But one valuable option remains – the $1.3 billion of federal money available to struggling renters through the Texas Rent Relief program.

Tenants can receive up to 15 months of rental assistance through Texas Rent Relief. However, getting the money to tenants requires a complex paperwork path. With funding from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, TRLA launched the Tenant Eviction Relief Project (TERP) last month to help tenants apply for rental assistance and handle related legal needs. TERP staff are going where the need is greatest: Fourteen counties account for more than 90% of the evictions filed in our 68-county service area. The fourteen are Bexar, Travis, Nueces, El Paso, Williamson, Hays, Webb, Cameron, Victoria, Comal, Guadalupe, San Patricio, Bastrop, Atascosa.

This month, paralegals and attorneys are in courts from El Paso to Laredo – either in-person or virtually – to aid people facing eviction proceedings. Over the next year, TERP expects to conduct more than 150 housing clinics across the 14 worst-hit counties.

“There is lots of rental assistance still available, but it’s not being accessed by folks who need it,” said Lizbeth Parra-Davila, a TRLA attorney in San Antonio who leads the Project. “It’s much more difficult for some people to apply online or on the phone.”

“Getting the rental assistance forms into their hands is important to help them avoid an eviction filing or being evicted,” she said. “It’s essential now that the eviction moratorium is gone.”

This is a critical moment to uphold everyone's basic right to housing. Private support – your donation – is urgently needed to ensure that TRLA can provide the advocacy and support necessary to connect the most vulnerable Texans to rental assistance.

Juan Urquidi, a member of TRLA's TERP, provides assistance in the 4th Precinct Justice of the Peace Court. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report