The Capitol Hill Times' April 20 story on Jennifer Howlett, the tenant with terminal cancer who faced eviction from her apartment, highlights how important it is that vulnerable members of our community have access to services that are designed to provide them with support and technical assistance to protect their interests.
Catholic Community Services' Legal Action Center (LAC) in Seattle is the legal services office that provided Ms. Howlett with legal representation during the eviction process. The mission of LAC is to reduce homelessness by preventing illegal or unnecessary evictions.
Jennifer Howlett came to LAC after receiving her termination notice. The LAC agreed to accept her case for representation and suggested that she contact the Seattle Office of Civil Rights (SOCR) to file a complaint, since it was clear that this case involved discrimination based on her medical condition. Before the SOCR could complete its procedures, there was a preliminary hearing at which the case was set for trial. The combination of legal representation provided by LAC and the enforcement powers of the SOCR meant that Howlett was spared the stress of a full trial.
The Legal Action Center has provided legal representation to tenants for more than 15 years. Recently the city of Seattle and the LAC entered a contract for the provision of these services, which promised financial stability for the LAC. However, like many others, the LAC has come to realize that this sense of financial security was fleeting.
Recent proposals by President Bush in his 2006 budget would eliminate the source of funding for the city contract. President Bush has proposed eliminating the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which has provided funding for healthy urban communities, with decent housing, a suitable living environment and economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income.
Since 1974, Community Development Block Grant funds have supported many programs that provide essential services to those in need. In Seattle, these funds have been used for child-care subsidies, homeless services and affordable housing. The funds have been under the control of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but in the new budget they will be consolidated with a number of other funding sources and administered by the Department of Commerce. Funding will be reduced, and it is anticipated that the emphasis will be shifted to economic development.
Economic development has its merits, but the shift comes at the expense of those who cannot benefit from economic growth. The sad reality is that there are members of our community who cannot work on a regular basis and need the support of the larger community to live lives of dignity. The fact that they may not be able to contribute financially to our society does not make them disposable commodities to be abandoned when it no longer is fiscally convenient to support them.
The elimination of CDBG funding will adversely affect our entire community because services will be drastically reduced, or disappear altogether. The Legal Action Center could experience a loss of one-third of its funding, potentially resulting in layoffs of half the full-time staff who provide vital services to people in need. LAC is not the only program facing such desperate measures. With state funding tight, it is unrealistic to think that there will be any money to replace these critical funds.
One of the benefits of having a program such as the Legal Action Center is that the services are very focused and cases are accepted at the earliest opportunity, so that a tenant may avoid the stigma of becoming a defendant in an eviction action, which becomes public record. Many clients are disabled; their cases are complicated, and cannot be fully developed without early intervention.
If the LAC is no longer able to provide services, the overwhelming majority of tenants will have to depend on obtaining an attorney - on the day of their court hearing - through the Housing Justice Project. A year from now, a person like Jennifer Howlett may have to attend an eviction hearing with an attorney who has had only 15 minutes to prepare her case. In Howlett's case, eviction would have taken place before she could have contacted the SOCR
Many of those who benefit from services funded by CDBG are those who do not have a political voice. They are people that President Bush and his base don't see or interact with. There is hope, however. Many of the leaders of our cities, and many of our legislators, have made it clear to Congress that preservation of CDBG is critical to preserving the health of our communities. This is clearly a case where those on the ground can see that the value of what these funds achieve far exceeds the value of trimming deficits.
Mark Chattin is the directing attorney of the Legal Action Center. He can be reached at editor@capitol hilltimes.com.[[In-content Ad]]
