{"id":2017,"date":"2026-06-08T17:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2017"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:35:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:35:51","slug":"why-durham-is-betting-on-legal-aid-to-prevent-evictions-amid-rising-rent-costs-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2017","title":{"rendered":"Why Durham is betting on Legal Aid to prevent evictions amid rising rent costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Durham City Council is considering extending an eviction-diversion program for another year to help keep more low-income residents in their homes.<\/p>\n

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But a tense discussion at Thursday\u2019s council meeting raised questions about whether the program is reaching tenants early enough to prevent eviction filings and whether mediation is working the way the city intended.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Eviction Diversion Program operates through a contract with Legal Aid of North Carolina. The council is considering extending the agreement from June 30, 2026, to June 30, 2027, and adding another $725,000 from the city\u2019s housing fund to increase the total contract amount from $725,000 to $1.45 million.<\/p>\n

The program, launched last year, provides mediation, legal assistance, and tenant\/landlord education for renters facing eviction. North Carolina has seen record-high eviction filings in recent years, and the average cost for a one-bedroom apartment in Durham is $1,400 a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorth Carolina is one of the most unfriendly states for tenants in the country,\u201d City Councilwoman Chelsea Cook said Thursday. \u201cWe are in an eviction crisis in North Carolina and in Durham, and the reason that people are facing eviction is because the cost of everything is going up, while wages are staying the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

In North Carolina, landlords can move quickly to file for eviction once rent is past due, a reality that speakers said leaves tenants little time to recover financially or get help.<\/p>\n

Many residents don\u2019t realize how fast an eviction case can end in lockout. Once a magistrate enters a summary ejectment judgment, a tenant can have as little as two weeks before sheriff\u2019s deputies arrives to remove belongings and padlock the home, speakers told the council.<\/p>\n

Ajax Woolley, a Durham resident, said \u201chomelessness is the next stop\u201d for many families.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very easy for Durham landlords to get an eviction judgment, a summary ejectment, in small claims court,\u201d Woolley said. \u201cA landlord can file eviction paperwork, have a quick process, and avoid hiring a lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cook also cited research linking eviction to broader community impacts. She referenced a University of Chicago study that found that every 1% increase in eviction rates in a census tract was associated with 2.66 more shootings.<\/p>\n

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Council member Carl Rist said tenant protections are a core part of the city\u2019s housing work.<\/p>\n

\u201cTenant protection is one of the key pillars of our housing strategy,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to provide for our renters.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the city and Legal Aid should reevaluate how to strengthen mediation within the program.<\/p>\n

City documents say the current contract expects Legal Aid to serve 100 households through mediation, open 500 legal representation cases, and run tenant\/landlord education workshops.<\/p>\n

As of May, Legal Aid reported it had opened 768 new legal representation cases, preserved tenancy for about 42% of households served, and helped about 73% avoid an eviction judgment by negotiating move-out dates.<\/p>\n

But mediation \u2014 intended to help resolve disputes before they escalate into court action \u2014 has lagged. Only 11 households received mediation services, compared with a goal of 100.<\/p>\n

City staff attributed the shortfall, in part, to how emergency rental assistance is structured through the Durham County Department of Social Services. The county\u2019s assistance \u2014 up to $2,000 \u2014 is generally available only after a court filing, which limits the ability to resolve cases before they reach court and can reduce a landlord\u2019s incentive to negotiate early.<\/p>\n

Sarah D\u2019Amato, a Legal Aid attorney, told the council that the process often hinges on landlord cooperation and patience with delays in rental assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had one [case]) last week where the landlord was really, really patient with DSS and getting those funds,\u201d she said. \u201cThey understand that there\u2019s some problems with that, so there\u2019s a lot that\u2019s also dependent on the landlord being open to accepting those funds and being patient with the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The City Council will vote on the proposal at its next meeting June 15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legal Aid of NC is in partnership with Durham to provide services to help low-income renters in their homes. The program might end this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Durham is betting on Legal Aid to prevent evictions amid rising rent costs - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2017\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Durham is betting on Legal Aid to prevent evictions amid rising rent costs - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Legal Aid of NC is in partnership with Durham to provide services to help low-income renters in their homes. 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