Community Legal Services East Palo Alto senior attorney, Daniel Saver, was interviewed by San Jose Mercury Newspaper on the Bay Area housing crisis, climbing rent prices, the rise of no-cause evictions, and their recent $3.1M grant from the Chan-Zukerberg Initiative.
With the understanding that the fight for affordable housing in the Bay Area is “an uphill battle,” Saver says he remains hopeful that the situation will improve. CLSEPA has been actively working with a variety of organizations to combat eviction and homelessness in the Peninsula region of the Bay Area. They’ve successfully defended many clients from eviction and report that with their grant money, they will be able to help out at least 2,500 more Bay Area residents.
Ultimately their long-term goal is the create policies that will protect low-income tenants from no-cause evictions and abuse from landlords. Saver is optimistic; “We can change the law through the democratic process. Citizens have the power to rewrite these laws so they’re more fair and equitable. To me, that’s an exciting prospect, and just as we see now an unprecedented housing crisis, we’re also living in a time of nearly unprecedented movement building for housing justice in the Bay Area.”
Organizations mentioned/involved: Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA)