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New Report

Evicted in Fresno: Facts for Housing Advocates

Fresno County is suffering from an affordable housing crisis, with more than 65% of renter households paying unaffordable rents and homeownership increasingly out of reach for low- and moderate-income residents. In this report produced by Faith in the Valley, learn about the patterns and impacts of evictions, which contribute to the larger housing insecurity crisis in Fresno.

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Here’s the bottom line: We do not have an adequate supply of safe, decent, and affordable housing units to meet the needs of our community, and without coordinated action at all levels of government, tenants and low-income homeowners will continue to see quality housing options shrink.

In this report, we address the following questions about eviction trends and patterns in Fresno County:

The Fresno Bee: A rental registry is Fresno’s newest weapon in the battle to wipe out housing blight
  • How many evictions happen annually in Fresno County?
  • What amount of money do renters commonly owe when evicted?
  • What proportion of tenants have legal representation in court versus landlords?
  • What are the main reasons that renters are evicted?
  • What proportion of evicted renters have a housing subsidy?
  • Where are evictions concentrated in Fresno County?
  • How do eviction rates vary by race or ethnicity?
  • What is the relationship between evictions and rent burdens?

How Protected Are You?

Is your local government protecting its renters from housing displacement? We created the Central Valley COVID-19 Housing Policy Scorecard to find out the answer. Jurisdictions were rated out of a possible 5 points on the strength of their local housing protection policies during the pandemic. This scorecard is modeled after the Eviction Lab COVID-19 Housing Policy Scorecard (Note: Alameda County is included here for comparison). To learn more about the scoring and criteria, go to https://bit.ly/CVHousingScorecard.

Fresno (City)

2.7 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Moderate protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Moderate protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Weak protection

Fresno County

0.8 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • No protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Kern County

0.5 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • No protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • No protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Weak protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Merced County

0.7 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • No protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Fresno (City)

2.7 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Moderate protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Moderate protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Weak protection

Fresno County

0.8 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • No protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Kern County

0.5 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • No protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • No protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Weak protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Merced County

0.7 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • No protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Stanislaus County

1.0 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Moderate protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Moderate protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Weak protection

Stockton (City)

2.6 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Moderate protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Moderate protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Moderate protection

San Joaquin County

0.5 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • No protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Weak protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Alameda County

2.6 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • Strong protection
  • Court process:
    • Strong protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Strong protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Weak protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Moderate protection

Stanislaus County

1.0 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Moderate protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Moderate protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Weak protection

Stockton (City)

2.6 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Moderate protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Moderate protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Moderate protection

San Joaquin County

0.5 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • No protection
  • Court process:
    • Moderate protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • No protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Weak protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • No protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • No protection

Alameda County

2.6 out of 5

Protections by…

  • Initiation of eviction:
    • Strong protection
  • Court process:
    • Strong protection
  • Enforcement of eviction order:
    • Total protection
  • Short-term supports:
    • Strong protection
  • Tenancy prevention measures:
    • Weak protection
  • Communication with renters:
    • Moderate protection

Take Action

Here are 3 quick ways you can help us stop impending mass evictions in California (Each one takes just a minute!).

TELL GOV. NEWSOM TO AUTHORIZE A COVID-19 EVICTION MORATORIUM

Gov. Gavin Newsom has still not enacted a comprehensive eviction moratorium or rent and mortgage relief for vulnerable renters and homeowners. Millions of California renters are at risk of evictions, including tens of thousands across the Central Valley. Demand that Gov. Newsom immediately pass an order to stop courts and sheriffs from conducting eviction proceedings and pass rent and mortgage relief now.

Email your state representative

The state legislature still has not passed protections that will cover all 18 million renters in California. Right now, you may have a few protections or none at all depending on where you live. AB 1436, now in the State Senate Judiciary Committee, will change that. Email your State Assemblymembers and Senators to support AB 1436.

Make a donation

No one should face the threat of eviction, especially during a health crisis. Since the start of the pandemic, Faith in the Valley organizers and volunteer leaders have fought hard to put in place basic protections for renters and homeowners. With your support, we’ll keep fighting to ensure that families and communities across the Central Valley remain in their homes.

IN THE NEWS: Why evictions harm renters: Letters to the editor, Nov. 3, 2019 Fresno Bee

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