What We Took Away From the White House Eviction Prevention Summit

In June, a Faith in the Valley research team and our partners at Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability were invited to participate in the White House Eviction Prevention Summit. We were part of a delegation of community advocates representing Fresno and the Central Valley.

Dr. Amber Crowell, Faith in the Valley’s housing coordinator, said: “What this invitation signified is something really amazing. The work that we have done has been a true collaboration with community advocates, faith leaders, residents and Fresno State faculty and students, and one result of it all is that the Central Valley is now part of the national conversation on the housing crisis.”

The summit brought together representatives from 46 cities across the country, including public officials, legal services organizations, community-based organizations, landlord associations, tenant advocates, emergency rental assistance administrators and local philanthropies to develop eviction prevention action plans for their local areas.

The catalyst for the event was the CDC’s announcement of a final, one-month extension of the eviction moratorium, after which the administration announced a series of actions to stabilize families and prevent evictions, including steps to encourage state and local governments to disburse the more than $46 billion in emergency rental assistance.

At the summit, we lifted up the Central Valley Action Plan to Stabilize Housing, a report with recommendations for how we can keep our people housed and protected in the weeks, months and years ahead. Despite California’s eviction moratorium, evictions are still happening in the Central Valley and at a higher rate than anywhere else in the state.

Once the moratorium ends, more than 100,000 individuals will be at risk of eviction in the Central Valley.

As we work toward a true north star vision for a Homes Guarantee, this action plan offers solutions for immediate implementation. Included in the plan are concrete recommendations that will help prevent evictions, support families facing the eviction process, and protect renters from some of the devastating consequences of a finalized eviction.

To learn more about our housing organizing and the Homes Guarantee, contact Regional Advisor Dr. Janine Nkosi at [email protected].