RAND report: tenant rep keeps tenant housed, saves money
A new report by RAND found that the Legal Services Corporation “enables 75,000 households to maintain their housing each year at a rough cost of around $2,000 per prevented move.” Describing its methodology, the report notes, “Using microdata for over four million U.S. residents, this Article employs a quasi-experimental approach designed to estimate the causal effect of access to representation, for the first time measuring impacts for a program operating in all 50 states and across a variety of different housing court contexts.” And it adds, “Our findings suggest that access to civil legal aid is particularly beneficial for seniors aged 65+, people with less than a high school degree, Asians, and people who do not speak English well. Our findings highlight the important role that funding legal aid can play in curbing housing instability and homelessness.”
The NCCRC gave input on the draft study.
