{"id":84286,"date":"2021-10-08T08:23:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T12:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=84286"},"modified":"2022-08-01T15:03:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T19:03:13","slug":"eviction-crisis","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2021\/eviction-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"An Eviction Crisis Emerges, BU Law Students Step Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default-alt has-media has-media-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Jaclyn Tayabji (\u201921), Research Assistant with the Access to Justice Clinic\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-992x661.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1182-RECORDTAYABJI-147-copy-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Jaclyn Tayabji (\u201921), research assistant with the Access to Justice Clinic<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Access to Justice Clinic<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAn Eviction Crisis Emerges, BU Law Students Step Up\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Volunteers help tenants navigate a complicated legal system.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">October 8, 2021<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/gabrielle-orum-hernandez\/\">Gabrielle Orum Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-dark-color\">When the pandemic hit last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/jade-brown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jade Brown<\/a>, BU Law clinical instructor with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/experiential-learning\/clinics\/civil-litigation-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Civil Litigation &amp; Justice Program<\/a>, knew that she\u2019d need a lot more help in housing court.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brown, a Class of 2016 alum, returned to BU Law to teach in fall 2020 after spending four years as a staff attorney at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gbls.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Greater Boston Legal Services<\/a> (GBLS). At GBLS, Brown often staffed a weekly clinic in housing court consulting with Boston-area tenants, many of whom had been served with eviction notices. She would usually start by helping tenants prepare an \u201cAnswer,\u201d a legal document that shows a tenant\u2019s intention of challenging their eviction. Under Massachusetts law, tenants only have a short window to file an Answer; without filing one at all, tenants can stand at a huge disadvantage in court.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The need for more support in housing court was already looming by early fall. Although the Boston Housing Authority set a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonhousing.org\/BHA\/media\/Documents\/Leased%20Housing\/LHR\/20200312160129580.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">moratorium on nonessential evictions in city public housing in March 2020<\/a>, that order was initially set to expire in October 2020. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2020\/09\/04\/2020-19654\/temporary-halt-in-residential-evictions-to-prevent-the-further-spread-of-covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">September 2020 federal moratorium<\/a> (extended several times by the Biden administration) protected some tenants, but the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotusblog.com\/2021\/08\/court-lifts-federal-ban-on-evictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Supreme Court struck down nationwide protections<\/a> in August 2021. Boston and other municipalities again <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.gov\/news\/mayor-janey-announces-housing-stability-agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">established local bans<\/a>, but housing attorneys anticipate a wave of eviction filings and hearings once the orders are lifted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Jade Brown ('16)\" class=\"wp-image-84506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-992x661.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/Brown-Jade-RF21.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Jade Brown (&#8217;16), clinical instructor in the Access to Justice Clinic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only was the need for support high, but none of the traditional means of connecting tenants with attorneys were possible at the height of COVID-19 spread.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brown saw an opportunity\u2014with an online portal developed by a colleague at GBLS to prepare Answer documents\u2014to tap into help from the law student population.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI really felt we could reach a large number of people. I know, having worked in legal services, just how overwhelmed the system is and how overwhelmed we were,\u201d Brown says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brown set to work with Jaclyn Tayabji (\u201921), a research assistant with BU Law\u2019s Access to Justice Clinic, to develop a system to train BU Law students as volunteers to help tenants prepare Answers over the phone. Last Fall, they launched a <em>pro bono<\/em> service project at BU Law utilizing the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gbls.org\/MADE\" target=\"_blank\">MA Defense for Eviction (MADE) Portal<\/a> to help tenants. The MADE online portal was created by Quinten&nbsp;Steenhuis and is available through Greater Boston Legal Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The volunteer project, run through the Access to Justice Clinic within the Civil Litigation &amp; Justice Program, connects trained student volunteers with tenants needing some extra guidance to put together an Answer. Volunteers, at times using the help of a third-party translator, can complete the form through the MADE portal over the phone with tenants, and tenants can sign off on the document through their own smartphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote record-block-bu-pullquote alignwide is-style-modern has-image-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">I really felt we could reach a large number of people. I know, having worked in legal services, just how overwhelmed the system is and how overwhelmed we were.<\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Jade Brown<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For students, MADE offered a way to get directly involved in high-stakes legal matters from a (social) distance. Marie Tashima<strong> <\/strong>(\u201923) was quick to respond to Tayabji\u2019s call for volunteers exactly because it offered a way to get involved from over the phone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tashima came to law school having already worked in housing advocacy in a few different cities, but she appreciated the way that MADE offered a practical application of what she was learning in class. \u201cI think I\u2019ve really developed my civil procedure skills,\u201d Tashima says of the experience. \u201cI was a paralegal before this, but even then, I didn\u2019t really know what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While MADE goes a long way to help low-income tenants navigate an eviction system often stacked against them, Tayabji is careful to point out that it remains purely a harm-reduction measure for the city\u2019s broader housing insecurity issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think this project and the work that the volunteers do is very much a Band-Aid. It\u2019s very much responding to the most pressing and urgent need in a way that is manageable for us to do,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"School of Law student Marie Tashima for The Record.\" class=\"wp-image-84291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-992x661.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/21-1183-RECORDTASHIMA-120-copy.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Marie Tashima (&#8217;23), volunteer with the Access to Justice Clinic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As vaccination efforts continue and courts reopen, Brown is already looking toward MADE\u2019s work over the next few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to being able to build up this project a little more over the next year, to get more volunteers trained. I think no one is looking forward to the flood of evictions, but we see it starting to happen,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tayabji also hopes to see Massachusetts lawmakers meet housing attorneys halfway.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cI think the work that we\u2019re doing is important\u2014it\u2019s important in the life of the tenant\u2019s case; but the real change needs to come from systemic change. That needs to come from policymakers,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:23% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"797\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-797x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The shadows of the World Trade Center towers with a text overlay reading &quot;Still Casting a Shadow&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-84107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-797x1024.jpg 797w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-495x636.jpg 495w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-768x987.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-1195x1536.jpg 1195w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-643x826.jpg 643w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-531x682.jpg 531w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-803x1032.jpg 803w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-1028x1321.jpg 1028w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-268x344.jpg 268w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-412x529.jpg 412w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-535x688.jpg 535w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-823x1058.jpg 823w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-1061x1364.jpg 1061w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-1285x1652.jpg 1285w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover-778x1000.jpg 778w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2021\/10\/LAW-RecordF21-cover.jpg 1497w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 797px) 100vw, 797px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><br>FEATURED IN:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><em>The Record<\/em>, Fall 2021<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/news-stories\/issues\/fall-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">See all stories<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the pandemic hit last year, Jade Brown, BU Law clinical instructor with the Civil Litigation &#038; Justice Program, knew that she\u2019d need a lot more help in housing court. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18183,"featured_media":84292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":84129,\"hed\":\"Uplifting Neighborhoods One Project at a Time\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard record-block-editorial-billboard is-style-half-photo has-light-overlay has-media\",\"backgroundId\":\"84146\",\"backgroundUrl\":\"\\\/law\\\/files\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/Figueroa-Daisy-landscape-970x456.jpg\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Access to Justice Clinic","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[3427,3728],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3918,3764,3770,3749,3786,3758],"record-topic":[3802],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/84286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18183"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84286"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/84286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93749,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/84286\/revisions\/93749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84286"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=84286"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=84286"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=84286"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=84286"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=84286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}