Jacqueline Gray’s Post

Hi Linkedin network I've had two of the most challenging and rewarding years providing free legal support to renters in Victoria, and advocating for a fairer housing system with Anika Legal - support us? 🏘️ https://lnkd.in/gWnP9yM7 ❓ Why? Rental vacancies hit an all-time low this year, and renters fear that if they uphold their rights, they will be kicked out of their home and unable to find another. This fear isn’t unfounded, we see it in Anika’s casework all the time. A report released by Homelessness Australia reveals that three million Australians are at risk of homeless due to rental stress and low incomes, up 63% since 2016, and service providers are having to turn away clients because they don’t have the resources to handle the influx. 💪 What are we doing? Anika Legal is fighting to address these issues. We provide free, ongoing legal support to keep renters in safe homes (over 1000 clients served) and, crucially, we use the data gathered through our casework to advocate for housing policy reform.

Legal aid prevents eviction and homelessness. That's why this Seattle Times article is a must-read about the proposed city of Seattle budget cuts that could impact legal aid programs. "As part of the proposed 2025 budget, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and the city’s Department of Construction and Inspections plan to slash funding for programs known as “tenant services” by about half, part of a larger effort to address the city’s $251 million budget deficit. Funding for renter programs represents a tiny fraction of Seattle’s proposed $8.3 billion budget, but tenant counselors and attorneys say those dollars play a crucial role in safeguarding renters’ rights, keeping their disputes with landlords from escalating into legal battles and preventing them from falling into homelessness." https://lnkd.in/gucGUzEP

California Center for Movement Legal Services condemns  Governor Newsom‘s threat to withhold state funding to cities that do not clear encampments, with this newfound power of criminalization unleashed by US Supreme Court's callus decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson. The governor’s executive order directing state agencies to clear homeless encampments, paired with this latest threat, is certain to push vulnerable individuals further into the margins and into the criminal justice system rather than providing support services.  This threat, by Governor Newsom, will intensify public health crises, strain already overburdened shelters, and likely increase the visibility of individuals struggling with homelessness, potentially leading to further stigmatization and discriminatory treatment. We urge cities and towns in CA to reject using the power of the law against the most vulnerable in our society simply for their lack of resources. Instead, regulate rents, prevent evictions, fund rental assistance, and build affordable housing. 

Searching for stable housing in NYC? Discover five crucial resources for NYC Housing Success in our latest blog, including resources from City of New York, National Coalition for the Homeless, The Legal Aid Society and Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City. Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eW78a6DX . #NYChousing #HousingSuccess

“When we think about the legal causes of homelessness, it could be a housing issue, it could be a physical-safety issue, it could be an income or asset issue — and if any of those are taken away illegally, that could trigger homelessness.” As a society (and in San Diego particularly) we tend to be reactive in addressing the issue of homelessness. Legal aid resources provide a new framework as a proactive measure to be invested in to prevent homelessness in the first place. In cities like San Diego, unfortunately, it is becoming starkly clear that many people are only one negative life event - a major medical emergency, a lost job or a change in relationship status - away from not being able to afford housing. Access to free, quality legal support could be (and has been!) the difference between stable housing and ending up on the streets. https://lnkd.in/g8Qrm6ki

Open Door Legal , a DRK portfolio organization, is pioneering the country’s first system of universal access to legal help for low-income communities. Their vision is that San Fransisco — and eventually the world — will be a place where no one is prevented from seeking justice because they cannot afford it. Nobody is turned away. To date, Open Door Legal has completed over 3,300 full-scope cases for people in San Francisco, and they have expanded to cover over two-thirds of SF’s low-income population. According to a recent study, Open Door Legal’s free aid reduced homelessness by nearly half in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood, proving that universal access to representation is the most cost-effective way to reduce homelessness. Read the San Francisco Examiner’s article detailing the positive impact of Open Door Legal’s scaling work: https://lnkd.in/gkAzgpnH Adrian Tirtanadi

One way to help people stay healthy and housed is through Legal Support for Renters policies, like those that improve access to counsel for tenants. By reducing the risk of eviction and homelessness, these policies promote better health for renters and support their economic security. https://lnkd.in/gzKGjAWK #RightToCounsel #HousingSecurity

Homelessness eligibility and the Withdrawal Agreement - two (contradictory) appeals. Both s.204 appeals succeeded, though on different conclusions as to law. Both important for homeless eligibility of those with Pre-Settled Status.

If we are really serious about ending homelessness all local authorities that an applicant has a local connection to should work together to resolve that applicants needs. Often I hear that an applicant has been refused advice and support because they have applied to another authority already. 😡 Let’s clear up this myth: Can I declare homelessness to multiple local authorities? The Housing Act 1996 does not limit the number of applications that can be made and applicants can apply to more than one local authority at the same time.[para 18.9 Homelessness Code of Guidance, MHCLG, Feb 2018.] A local authority may ask the applicant at the initial interview if they have applied to another authority (or authorities). If so, one authority may contact the other authority to agree which will take the responsibility for carrying out inquiries.[para 18.9 Homelessness Code of Guidance, MHCLG, Feb 2018.] If the authority carrying out inquiries reaches an unfavourable decision, the applicant may then ask the other authority to make its own inquiries. Each authority must make its own, independent inquiries in response to all applications. For example, a local authority must still make inquiries into any duty it owes, even where another local authority has failed to make inquiries or accept a duty. The second authority may take the original authority's decision into consideration but cannot simply rubber-stamp it.[Eren v Haringey LBC [2007] EWCA Civ 409.] #homelessness #prevention #multiagencyapproach