Overview
The Eviction Defense Collaborative is the principal organization in San Francisco helping low-income tenants respond to eviction lawsuits. Each year we provide emergency legal services and rental assistance to over 5,000 tenants in San Francisco.
Our families, our community, our economy, and our health all depend on the security and stability that come from having a place to call home. Only when we ensure this basic human right can we grow as individuals to produce a just, prosperous, and equitable society. Because of the high cost of housing in San Francisco, thousands of families and individuals struggle every day to meet this most basic human need. Each time someone loses the struggle against eviction and becomes homeless or is forced to leave the City, San Francisco loses a little more of the dignity and diversity that gives it its cherished spirit.
The Eviction Defense Collaborative works to level the playing field by providing emergency legal assistance to our low-income neighbors.
Levelling the Playing Field
When a tenant is drawn into the legal system by their landlord, the law is supposed to protect them against wrongful evictions. However, because no public defenders exist in civil courts, tenants who cannot afford an attorney struggle to defend their rights in a system that advantages those who can pay for legal council. The Eviction Defense Collaborative works to level the playing field by providing emergency legal assistance to our low-income neighbors. In addition, we provide emergency rental assistance to help tenants struggling to make ends meet in San Francisco. Through these programs we preserve affordable housing, prevent homelessness, and protect San Francisco’s diversity so that hard working, low-income tenants can continue to have a place to call home.
