Claudia's Eviction Prevention Story (Story 38/40)

“I don’t think people realize how humiliated renters can be, how few rights we have, and how often landlords break or go around the few protections we do have.”

This is Claudia (name changed for privacy), a woman and renter who offered to share her housing struggle story. “In 2020, I had a neighbor who lost his job because he couldn’t pay his rent. This was a formative experience for my neighbor and I, in fact it was a big experience for our entire street. The neighbor was locked out of his home, unable to enter and even get his things.”

Claudia and her neighbor’s experience isn’t uncommon. Our eviction prevention team hears stories like this every day, quiet injustices low income renters face that mostly go unseen and unheard. You may think the renters could sue, but without being able to afford a lawyer, it’s extremely unlikely they would win in small claims court.

“My experience as a renter hasn’t been good,” Claudia said on our call. “Mostly because of so many rent increases. It’s humiliating being pushed and pushed, constantly reminded that this isn’t really our home. Even asking for basic fixes or maintenance is usually denied, and that after they raise our rent. If you had any idea how hard I had to fight for a working stove...”

For a person living paycheck-to-paycheck, one mishap can lead to you and your family out on the street or sleeping in your car.

We usually try to end these interviews with something hopeful—and Claudia did express gratitude and hope at the grant funding she received from One Month Away—but the ultimate need is for tenant protection reforms. Every dollar you’ve given to our Eviction Prevention work has had an impact. Homes and families have been saved from displacement! So we keep fighting for more just rental systems and better protections for residents because neighbors like Claudia are worth it!