That's what grantmakers like the
Abell Foundation and Maryland Legal Services Corporation helped accomplish by funding the work of the Public Justice Center (PJC) and Citizen's Planning and Housing Association (CPHA) to give tenants proper notice of evictions and prohibit landlords from dumping their belongings in the streets through the
Tenant Advocacy Project.
A 2003 Abell Report drew attention to this issue by demonstrating that Baltimore renters received less notice of eviction and were more likely to be evicted than other tenants nationwide. The study also highlighted the egregiousness of Baltimore's practices in leaving tenants' belongings or "chattel" out in the street. The city employed three full-time crews to follow every eviction and pick up and dispose of items, costing taxpayers about $800,000 a year.
With the support of the local funders, the PJC worked to compare legal practices and analyze solutions used in other cities and states, and to pull together the Rental Housing Coalition, a diverse coalition including 25 tenant groups and advocacy organizations. CPHA played a complementary role organizing neighborhood groups around the neighborhood effects of eviction.
When Mayor Sheila Dixon took office, she supported legislation based on the coalition's work. Baltimore's "Clean Street" bill was passed in August 2007 requiring landlords to provide tenants with a two-week advance notice of the exact date of the eviction. It also prohibits tenant belongings from being placed in the street and requires landlords to dispose of items remaining in the unit.
The law has been "wonderfully successful" in eliminating the dumping of belongings and reducing the huge public cost associated with that, notes John Nethercut, Executive Director of the Public Justice Center. And by giving tenants notice of scheduled eviction dates, it has helped tenants make appropriate arrangements, reducing evictions by 34 percent.
"This victory wouldn't have been possible without the funding community - not just those who support PJC, but all those who support members of the Rental Housing Coalition," Nethercut says.
