Eviction Policy Action: DHA Board of Commissioners
On May 26, Ms. Ashanti Brown, DHA’s Director of Strategic Management, gave a comprehensive presentation of DHA’s new rent collection policies and procedures to the DHA Board of Commissioners. In her presentation, Ms. Brown covered rent collection-related policies and procedures, discussed their research of eviction proceedings at the Housing Authority of Winston Salem (HAWS) model, the recent hiring of three housing stability specialists (HSSs) to help DHA engage in more direct outreach with residents, and their COVID19 rent collection protocols. This presentation is a clear reaction to the Eviction Policy Reform CAN has been advocating for since January.
Despite this movement in the positive direction, DHA's new stated policies still lack the two main provisions to protect residents from the scarlet "E" branded by evictions.
(1) Increase time to filing of evictions to at least 90 days after rent is due. The current 15-day policy is too fast for residents to access community resources
(2) DHA must require communication between property managers and residents prior to eviction filings. Meetings between property managers and residents can resolve issues without going to court, and can be used to connect residents to community resources.
Join Durham CAN as we return in numbers to to the Durham Housing Authority (DHA) Board of Commissioners Meeting on Wednesday, June 23rd @5:30pm to reaffirm our commitment to our proposed to protect DHA residents from the harmful effects of evictions after moratoriums expire in less than a month on June 30th.
To participate in the public comment and take direct action against evictions, please RSVP for the Action Planning Meeting June 22nd at 6:00 PM
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Webinar ID: 889 0112 8831
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301-715-8592
877-853-5247
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