Renters and housing justice activists march around the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse demanding that AB 1436 be passed on Friday, August 21, 2020. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
The Fairfax Town Council, Marin County Board of Supervisors and San Rafael City Council all deserve recognition and appreciation following their respective approvals to extend a residential eviction moratorium through Sept, 30.
This policy deserves replication across additional jurisdictions in Marin County to provide timely relief and housing stability to renters throughout our community who continue to experience negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approximately one-third of Marin residents are renters. In communities like the Canal neighborhood in San Rafael, Southern Marin and Central Novato, the proportion of renters is even higher. We all know that housing is increasingly unaffordable in Marin County and the greater Bay Area yet there are disproportionate impacts of housing insecurity for people with low-incomes and people of color.
According to 2018 American Community Survey data, 55% of tenants in Marin County were paying more than 30% of their income toward rent and are disproportionately represented by people of color, seniors and people with disabilities.
When people lose their housing it creates a well-documented negative ripple effect that impacts the entire community. Relocation disrupts school, social lives, families and employment connections. It also impacts employers who are facing a staffing shortage as well as our local economy.
When people are unable to find replacement housing, the impacts of homelessness further exacerbate existing inequities.
While rental assistance funds are available, Marin County and other localities have faced barriers getting assistance into the hands of renters in a timely fashion. Marin currently has a waiting list of more than 330 households. County officials have estimated it will take until Sept. 30 to distribute those funds.
Court evictions for non-payment of rent have spiked for those unable to pay April and May 2022 rent, many of whom are on the waiting list for prior months. Rental assistance funds will provide important relief to renters as well as landlords and the extension of the eviction moratorium supports the policy aim of providing rental assistance.
During the pandemic, a unique partnership was formed which provides an example of what is possible through collective action. The Canal Policy Working Group (CPWG) engaged leaders from the county, San Rafael and nonprofit organizations serving Marin County to think and act together to address the disproportionate negative impact of the pandemic impacting residents of the Canal neighborhood in San Rafael.
The CPWG has learned and worked together to advance equitable pandemic recovery through rent freezes, an eviction moratorium and access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and other services. We have been honored to be part of this collaborative taking action for equity and we have seen what is possible. When we work together, we can accomplish great things for our community.
As we enact local policies and practices to further recovery from the pandemic, we have an opportunity to change historic patterns of segregation and exclusion in Marin County in favor of equitable solutions that address the needs of all.
Our local nonprofit organizations, Community Action Marin and Legal Aid of Marin, working in partnership with North Marin Community Services and Canal Alliance, among others, are committed to playing our part in an ongoing partnership to make Marin an equitable place where we can all be proud to live.
Protecting tenants who are experiencing lingering economic challenges brought on by the extended pandemic is the equitable thing to do.
We applaud the leaders in Fairfax, the county and San Rafael who have taken the important step of extending the eviction moratorium to address ongoing critical needs. We urge the other cities and towns across Marin to follow suit.
Chandra Alexandre, of Novato, is CEO of Community Action Marin. Lucie Hollingsworth, of Novato, is senior staff attorney for Legal Aid of Marin.
Used with permission by the Marin Independent Journal.
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