Title
Authorizing the City Council Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless to hold hearings on the role and responsibilities of Philadelphia's Landlord-Tenant Officer position; the policies and procedures it manages in the eviction process, particularly around writs of service; and clarifying oversight, ethics, and public accountability for the Landlord-Tenant Office.
Body
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has long experienced an eviction crisis, with approximately one in fourteen renters confronted with a court-recorded eviction filing each year. According to the Mayor's Taskforce on Eviction Prevention and Response, Philadelphia ranks second among all major cities in eviction filings that lead to displacement; and
WHEREAS, According to The Reinvestment Fund, the City's eviction crisis disproportionately affects families of color. Of those who have sought assistance from Philadelphia's Eviction Prevention Project, a City Council-funded program that provides comprehensive assistance to those facing eviction, 74 percent are Black, 70 percent are women, and over half are parents or caregivers; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 has exacerbated the racial disparities and the state of housing instability across the City of Philadelphia, as thousands of renters struggle to meet their obligations in the face of an economic downturn and widespread public health uncertainty. In May 2020 the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that in Philadelphia, Black patients are dying from COVID-19 at a rate more than 30% higher than the death rate, and in July it further reported that Black and Hispanic women in Philadelphia are being infected at rates five times higher than their white counterparts; and
WHEREAS, In June 2020, Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed a package of ordinances-the Emergency Housing Protection Act-to protect countless families from being displaced and therefore at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. The package of laws went into ...
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