LOS ANGELES – Despite a countywide pandemic moratorium on evictions for low-income individuals, tenants continue to be threatened with eviction or illegally evicted. Many under resourced households simply don’t know their rights or that there is help. L.A. Care Health Plan, in an effort to prevent homelessness before it starts, has awarded $500,000 to the Liberty Hill Foundation to support the Stay Housed L.A. network, the largest eviction prevention and defense program in the country. The network consists of 13 community-based organizations that offer eviction prevention services, and it is supported by both the City and County of Los Angeles.
“With the pandemic continuing to impact employment and the cost of living skyrocketing, many families are struggling to maintain basic necessities,” said John Baackes, L.A. Care CEO. “Through ‘Know Your Rights’ workshops, tenant navigation, and even legal services, we expect the Stay Housed L.A. network will resolve evictions and prevent homelessness for more than 50,000 tenants.”
L.A. Care launched a Housing Stability Initiative in 2018 and over two cycles, grantees helped 1,093 families avoid eviction through pre-litigation or litigation services. This grant allows us to build on that previous commitment.
"Since our founding, housing justice has been a priority for Liberty Hill. As evictions around Los Angeles County continue to skyrocket, our anti-eviction program, Stay Housed L.A., has helped thousands of tenants avoid eviction and displacement,” said Shane Murphy, Liberty Hill Foundation CEO. “L.A. Care's support in this critical moment is essential to ensuring more families are able to stay in their homes."
This grant aligns with L.A. Care’s commitment to advancing health equity, which means giving everyone a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Being housed is critical for positive health outcomes.