Unhoused: On the brink

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Ruy and Meagan Arango, organizers for No Evictions Without Representation, are building off the national right-to-counsel movement, seeking guaranteed legal representation in Boulder’s eviction court.

Stemming evictions is the first step to preventing homelessness, but in light of the pandemic, will it be enough? When an eviction moratorium expired in August and the government’s pandemic-aid spigot closed, Colorado nonprofits and public agencies, including those in Boulder County, mounted a coordinated response to address a looming homelessness crisis. A gusher of donations created an eviction legal defense fund, a rental assistance program and other aid to people struggling to pay utility and food bills. In just three months, 800 households received help in forestalling evictions while thousands more received legal and humanitarian services. Despite the community support and a new eviction moratorium set to expire before the new year, housing risks remain without a resumption of emergency government aid.

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