Madison Hahamy Photo
Elizabeth Rosenthal: Homelessness crisis looms.
Rents are rising. Home prices are through the roof. Developers keep plowing money into new luxury apartments, as megalandlords gobble up multi-family housing everywhere else. A tidal wave of evictions has started to hit. The state Right to Counsel program is up and running. New tax bills and property values remain in flux.
That’s not to mention all of the challenges still posed by the ongoing pandemic.
The shifting laws, regulations, and resources can be a lot to keep up with.
In a series of reports, we’re offering a look at what you need to know if you rent or own a home in the Elm City.
In this first installment, we’re focusing on the end of the state’s Covid rental assistance program, UniteCT, and what that means for tenants struggling to make rent. (Please send us housing-related tips or story ideas, by emailing [email protected]. And if you would like to subscribe to these reports in newsletter form, please click here.)
The state's Covid rental assistance program is ending. What does that mean for tenants?
Last month, Connecticut tenants lost key protections from eviction.
On Feb. 15, the state’s emergency pandemic rental aid program, UniteCT, closed to new applications. (Landlords and tenants who already have a case number can take until March 31 to complete their applications; the state says it will continue processing applications until funding dries up.) Feb. 15 also saw the expiration of Gov. Ned Lamont’s longstanding executive order that required landlords to apply for UniteCT funds before following through on an eviction for nonpayment of rent.
We spoke with New Haven Legal Assistance Association Deputy Director Elizabeth Rosenthal about tenants’ options now that UniteCT is closed to new applicants.
What does the end of UniteCT mean for local evictions?
In the city of New Haven, eviction summons spiked for a second time this year around March 1, when UniteCT officially closed to new applications. Rosenthal said she’s noticed “what felt like an exponential increase” in eviction cases when Lamont’s executive order expired in mid-February.
According to the Independent’s count, 292 new eviction cases have been filed in New Haven since the start of 2022.
“I would go as far as to say that it’s a disaster, because there are so many people who are still struggling and who haven’t had the opportunity to get UniteCT,” said Rosenthal. “There’s a probability of a homelessness crisis coming up.”
The rise in evictions has not affected all New Haveners equally. Of the 292 evictions that have been filed since the start of the year, the Independent found that most have been clustered in majority Black and Brown neighborhoods: Edgewood, Fair Haven, the Hill, and Newhallville.
A recent DataHaven analysis, meanwhile, found that Black and Latina women are the most vulnerable to housing insecurity in Connecticut. In a 2021 statewide survey, Black women were nearly seven times more likely than white men and women to report that they expected to leave their home soon due to rent or mortgage rates, while Latina women were nearly six times more likely.
Now that UniteCT is phasing out, where can tenants who have fallen behind on rent turn for rental assistance?
The city of New Haven still offers rental assistance through the Livable City Initiative’s CASTLE program. CASTLE has $213,000 left in funding, according to city spokesperson Len Speiller. Each applicant can receive up to $12,000. Speiller noted that since late February, the city has seen an uptick in inquiries about CASTLE. He said the city is now getting five to 10 calls per day about the program. The CASTLE application packet, which requires both tenant and landlord participation, is available here.
Rosenthal also pointed to a short-term assistance program through the homeless services organization Liberty Community Services, available to residents of New Haven County. Tenants can call 203 – 495-7600 to begin the application process. Liberty’s executive director, Jim Pettinelli, noted that the organization’s rent assistance programs have “limited funding availability” and are “very high in demand.”
In addition to public and social service funds, tenants may have other options for financial assistance, Rosenthal said. Some religious congregations and employers offer rental assistance programs for employees and community members. Tenants can check whether they are eligible for additional benefits through online services like this one or with a caseworker at organizations like the Community Action Agency of Greater New Haven at 419 Whalley Ave.
They can also call 2 – 1‑1, a free state referral service that connects callers to resources, to ask about other options.
Finally, those tenants who never received federal stimulus checks or the child tax credit can file for those funds through their taxes. Free tax assistance is available for eligible individuals and families at a number of in-person locations, including the New Haven Free Public Library’s downtown Ives branch, as well as online.
While these funds may be able to serve as alternatives, to UniteCT, one key component has changed about the eviction process now that the state program is closing: landlords are now able to carry out an eviction for nonpayment of rent without first working with their tenants to apply for rental assistance.
Can undocumented residents apply for those rent-support resources?
While undocumented tenants could qualify for UniteCT, many programs require applicants to provide a Social Security number. The city’s CASTLE fund is open to undocumented residents of New Haven, as long as applicants can provide identification and the other required documents listed at the start of the form.
For an option with lower barriers to entry, local non-profit organization Junta For Progressive Action offers rent and utility assistance specifically for undocumented and/or Hispanic tenants, assessing how much to award on a case-by-case basis. An online application is available here.
What should tenants do if they receive an eviction notice?
It can be stressful and overwhelming to find an eviction notice at your door, Rosenthal said. The most important step in responding to the notice is to take a deep breath and read through the documents carefully.
Rosenthal encouraged tenants to ask for help with understanding the notice — especially tenants who are more comfortable with a language other than English, as the summons is an English-only document.
Since the end of January, there’s a new place tenants can turn to for help with evictions: under the state’s new Right to Counsel law, tenants who reside in certain zip codes and meet income requirements are guaranteed an attorney in housing court. Access to a lawyer has dramatically improved tenants’ housing court outcomes in other Right to Counsel municipalities.
All tenants facing eviction are supposed to receive a page of information in English and Spanish about how they can obtain an attorney. The Right to Counsel hotline number is 1−800−559−1565.
A key component of the eviction notice is the “Return Date,” written near the top right of the summons. Tenants have to file an Appearance form with the court listed on the summons no more than two days after that return date. “If [tenants] don’t file the Appearance within two days of that date, it is unlikely that they will have their day in court,” Rosenthal said.
What about tenants who have heard threats of eviction but haven’t received a formal Notice to Quit?
Tenants are still able and encouraged to call the Right to Counsel hotline if they have not received a formal eviction notice, although if their landlord is threatening to evict them legally, their case might not be prioritized until a quit date is set.
“We’re definitely being overwhelmed” with an unprecedented caseload, Rosenthal said, and staff sometimes need to “triage” and prioritize the most urgent cases first. “We’re trying to get back with people quite quickly,” she added.
Legal aid also offers guidance on navigating landlord disputes and the eviction process itself online at https://ctlawhelp.org/.
Eviction cases are on the rise. Here are the locations affected since the start of 2022:
Read our latest reporting on...
- Why the city’s Inclusionary Zoning ordinance, which would require a proportion of affordable housing units in certain new developments, needed some tweaks.
- How the mayor’s proposal to phase in revaluation property taxes could affect both homeowners and tenants.
- Why one of the city’s largest landlords recently garnered $5,000 in housing code violation fines.
- How a law firm is attempting to penalize a tenant for talking to the press about his eviction case.
- How three recent eviction cases — including “Lapse In Time” evictions that have become increasingly common —unfolded in court.
Other must-read housing journalism across Connecticut:
- CTMirror: CT eviction filings on track to reach highest number in years
- Connecticut Public: Evictions could top pre-COVID numbers, hit vulnerable communities hardest
Interested in making your voice heard? Here are some upcoming public meetings on housing:
- On March 31 at 5 p.m., the state Commission on CT’s Development and Future: Municipal Affordable Housing Plans Working Group is meeting via zoom.
- On April 5 at 6 p.m., the Board of Alders’ Legislation Committee will review an amended version of the city’s Inclusionary Zoning ordinance.
The next step is that deadbeats will be evicted. Landlords have learned a bitter lesson. Tenants will be screened with a fine toothed comb. Those with bad records should not be able to get a rent anywhere.
I am sorry for those who have legitimate hard luck stories but I believe most were just trying to get over on the property owner and I have no sympathy for them.