Housing Justice League Inc

Thank you to everyone who contributed towards the DeKalb (English) manual printing -- we are now passing them out free of charge to renters. We increased our fundraising goal for two additional printings: 1) DeKalb Spanish edition and 2) Fulton 2nd edition. Read the 1st edition online at  www.housingjusticeleague.org/evictiondefense! We operate a tenant hotline 7 days/week and offer free manuals to anyone who calls. The manuals lay out the convoluted eviction process and possible legal approaches for tenant defense. It's a tangible way for tenants to get connected with HJL and tenant organizers. Understanding the law will never be enough to abolish eviction, but it can help people feel less powerless and more connected to a community organization. At a time when landlords are increasingly evicting tenants unlawfully and searching for legal loopholes, these manuals are important as ever.

Housing Justice League's new Eviction Defense Manual  just went live! A huge to thank you to all the volunteers, tenant leaders, and legal advocates who made this possible. Fulton County renters are facing a brutal eviction crisis with close to 800 evictions filed every week. Eviction has catastrophic effects on individuals and communities, trapping them in cycles of debt, dangerous living conditions, and further displacement. Housing Justice League will be mass printing our Manual to help Fulton County renters defend themselves and their neighbors in the eviction process. Click to read the manual and for more information about our outreach strategy and volunteer needs. 

We need your help to cover the costs! So far, we have developed the manual and outreach plan with very minimal funds. As we get ready to launch the outreach program, we need your financial support for printing, community information sessions for renters to learn how to use the manual, child care, and transportation costs for our volunteers. Your full donation will go directly to these uses!

Project Background:

The legal process of eviction is highly complex and many tenants do not understand their rights. Even though the eviction process is very tilted in the favor of landlords, understanding legal opportunities for intervention can buy tenants time and prevent or reduce debt. Sometimes it can stop an eviction altogether. The purpose of this project is to reduce the harm caused by lack of knowledge and legal representation.

We started developing the manual with the understanding that the majority (53 percent) of tenants lose the opportunity to challenge their eviction in court because they do not file an answer. Many other tenants file an answer without a proper legal defense or fail to show up to their court date, which speeds up the eviction process and loses the tenant the opportunity to challenge their case.

We will target areas of Atlanta hardest hit by the eviction crisis to build capacity for renters to learn and teach each other skills to fight the eviction process and organize tenant unions. We see this work as necessary for building leadership within communities that can move the housing justice movement in Atlanta forward and to win longer term solutions.

          ʙᴀᴄᴋʏᴀʀᴅ ʏᴀʀᴅ sᴀʟᴇ . sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴜsɪɴɢ ᴊᴜsᴛɪᴄᴇ ʟᴇᴀɢᴜᴇ ᴏғ ᴀᴛʟᴀɴᴛᴀ!!

                   ʜᴇʏ ᴀʟʟ ɪᴛ's ʟᴏʀᴇʟᴇɪ, ᴠɪᴏʟᴇᴛ, ᴢᴀᴄʜ ᴀɴᴅ sʏᴅɴᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴ' ᴀᴛ ᴄʜʏᴀ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋʏᴀʀᴅ!

ɪᴛ's ᴏᴜʀ ғᴏᴜʀᴛʜ ᴘᴏᴘ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ ʜᴊʟ, ᴀ ɢʀᴀss ʀᴏᴏᴛs ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴀᴛʟᴀɴᴛᴀ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ... "ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇɴᴇss ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀғғᴏʀᴅᴀʙʟᴇ ʜᴏᴜsɪɴɢ ᴄʀɪsɪs ɪɴ ᴀᴛʟᴀɴᴛᴀ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀs ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴄɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏʀᴘᴏʀᴀᴛᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀs ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇs ᴏғ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴄʟᴜsɪᴠᴇ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴘʟᴀɴ ɴᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇʟᴛʟɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇʀ ғɪᴇʟᴅ."

**ʜᴏᴡ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴡᴇ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴇᴅs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ ʜᴏᴜsɪɴɢ ᴊᴜsᴛɪᴄᴇ ʟᴇᴀɢᴜᴇ?**

                                   -ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ғʀᴏᴍ ғᴏᴏᴅ & ʙᴇᴠᴇʀᴀɢᴇ
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ʟᴇᴛ's quadrᴜᴘʟᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴs!


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"sɪɢɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇᴛɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴜʀɢᴇ ᴘᴏʟɪᴄʏᴍᴀᴋᴇʀs ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀᴛʟᴀɴᴛᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴢᴇʀs ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏʟɪᴄɪᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ sʜᴀᴘᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴀғғᴏʀᴅᴀʙʟᴇ ʜᴏᴜsɪɴɢ ᴘᴏʟɪᴄʏ ᴀɴᴅ ғɪɴᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ʟᴀɴᴅsᴄᴀᴘᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴs ᴛᴏ ᴇɴsᴜʀᴇ ᴀ ʙᴇʟᴛʟɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴ ᴀᴛʟᴀɴᴛᴀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ғᴏʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ! "



ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ᴠᴇɴᴅᴏʀs & ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴇʀs ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋʏᴀʀᴅʏᴀʀᴅsᴀʟᴇ@ɢᴍᴀɪʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ "sɪɢɴ-ᴜᴘ ғᴏʀ ᴠᴇɴᴅᴏʀ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴏɴ" ᴏʀ "sɪɢɴ-ᴜᴘ ғᴏʀ ᴠᴇɴᴅᴏʀ ᴘᴏsɪᴛɪᴏɴ"