A new pilot program will bring free representation to low-income renters facing evictions at the George Deukmejian Courthouse in Downtown Long Beach.
Launched in November by the Los Angeles-based legal services nonprofit BASTA Inc., BASTA Universal attorneys arrive at the courthouse every Monday and Wednesday when eviction cases are heard and offer their services at no cost to poor tenants.
“These are all very low income folks,” said Long Beach resident and BASTA attorney Matthis Chiroux who runs the new pro-bono program. “People who are already struggling sometimes to make ends meet without the threat of being evicted hanging over their heads.”
BASTA attorneys handle everything from no-fault eviction cases due in part to some landlords still unaware of the new state Tenant Protection Act to small misunderstandings between the tenant and landlord, according to Chiroux.
But the most common reason tenants end up in eviction court is because of not paying their rent.
“A lot of that in Long Beach has to do with the fact that a lot of my clients in the last year have undergone like 30% rent increases,” Chiroux said. “They’re landlords looking at the new state rent control taking effect and wanting to get out in front of that. So I have people who a year, year and a half ago, were perfectly able to make their monthly rental payments but then the landlords raised them 30 to 50 percent.”
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And if attorneys aren’t able to resolve cases on the first day of trial they are able to continue representing renters until the end.
“We take on full representation and in many cases if there is a negative result we challenge that negative result,” said fellow BASTA attorney Celida Miramontes. “We go through the process of post-judgment motions and even appeal.”
While BASTA attorneys have been providing legal support to low-income tenants at courthouses throughout Los Angeles County since it began in 2005, it made a concerted effort to focus on Long Beach after seeing a spike in evictions.
Between mid November to mid February, a total of 172 individuals have been assisted through the program and nearly $247,000 in back rent has been waived for relocating tenants.
Additionally, attorneys were able to help 32% of all clients stay in their current homes, while negotiating a combined 1,600 additional days to move for relocating tenants and sealing 68 eviction cases from public view.
While there is no end date in sight for this pilot program, Miramontes said BASTA currently has enough staff to provide this free service to qualifying renters.
“So far the results are really impressive,” Miramontes said. “We’re seeing tenants who are getting at the very least any unpaid rent completely waived and time to move and that’s huge because that makes the difference between someone literally being left on the streets or having time and being able to reserve the dignity to transition into housing.”
BASTA’s Long Beach office is located at 333 W. Broadway, #204. For more information call 562-825-5050 or click here.