We are here to help.
Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC) is the Principal Organization in San Francisco Fighting on Behalf of Low-Income Tenants Facing Eviction and Working to Prevent Homelessness.
Each year, EDC provides free legal services to more than 5,000 San Francisco residents.
EDC is unique in our integrated, collaborative approach, both within our own structure and in working closely with many partner organizations across the city.
We believe that housing is a basic human right, and that everyone deserves access to the basic human necessity of having somewhere to live. When someone is evicted, the ripple effects reach far beyond their day to day lives. There’s a loss of dignity and self-sufficiency. An eviction history makes it harder to rent a new place to live. And for a city with such a unique and diverse population, every time someone loses their home, the city loses a little bit more of what makes it special.
Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC) fights for tenants’ rights, is focused on preventing homelessness, and is working for a better future for San Francisco.
Eviction Defense Collaborative provides free legal representation and support to help level the playing field and keep people in their homes. As the lead agency for San Francisco’s Tenant Right to Counsel (TRC) program, EDC coordinates closely with a variety of programs across the city to fight for tenants’ rights. Together, we advocate for tenants by asserting their rights and defenses when fighting an eviction lawsuit.
Our TRC work protects tenants from default judgments, which occur if a tenant is served with an eviction lawsuit and does not respond within the very short legal timeframe. Tenants who fail to respond on time are considered to have defaulted and can be forcibly evicted within weeks. Before the Tenant’s Right to Counsel law was enacted, more than 90% of tenants facing eviction proceedings were self-represented. EDC works to level the playing field by providing legal representation– which has been shown to increase a defendant’s chance of avoiding homelessness by over 70%.
EDC also provides social services to our clients, addressing needs to help resolve their cases, support them throughout the legal process, and to help prevent future housing issues. This can include providing crisis intervention, assisting with moving and transportation needs, and connecting people to health care including mental health services. In addition to legal services, EDC’s Rental Assistance Disbursement Component (RADCo) program helps tenants who have fallen behind on their rent or need help with security deposits. RADCo also provides long-term subsidies for tenants that are seniors or people with disabilities.
Learn more about how EDC fights for San Francisco’s tenants by working to prevent eviction and homelessness.
Are you interested in creating a more just and equitable San Francisco, with equal access to safe, affordable, and stable housing? Join our team!
EDC is building a first-rate, collegial, and inclusive team that enables all San Francisco residents to thrive under equal access to the law.
Services provided annually by EDC.
Key Moments in EDC’s History
Since 1996, Eviction Defense Collaborative’s work has evolved to reflect San Francisco’s complex housing market. We’re proud of our progress and the outcomes we fight for every day.
1996
Our Beginnings
Formed in 1996, EDC coordinates closely with a variety of programs across the city to fight for tenants’ rights. Together, we advocate for tenants by asserting their rights and defenses when fighting an eviction lawsuit. This work protects tenants from default judgments, which occur if a tenant is served with an eviction lawsuit and does not respond within the very short legal timeframe. Tenants who fail to respond on time are considered to have defaulted and can be forcibly evicted within weeks. In the first few years of EDC’s work, the organization focused on preventing these default judgments– initially with just a single employee and a handful of volunteers from the 12 partner organizations.
1990s
Expanding EDC’s Work
In the late 1990s, Eviction Defense Collaborative expanded to launch the city-funded Shelter Client Advocacy program. This critical program is focused on helping the city’s most vulnerable populations avoid homelessness. EDC monitors homeless shelter conditions and the fair application of shelter rules. When issues arise, EDC acts as an informal conflict resolution agency and assists clients when they are appealing shelter decisions that deny them service. This process, which is unique to San Francisco, and aims to prevent people from losing access to homeless shelters– a last resort for many people without other housing options.
2018
Proposition F and Tenant Right to Counsel (TRC)
In 2018, there was a significant change to San Francisco’s housing laws. Because evictions take place in civil courts and not criminal, defendants do not have a constitutional right to an attorney. And when facing landlords and their attorneys, everyday people struggle to defend their rights in court. To address this significant gap in protections for tenants, Proposition F, the “No Eviction without Representation Act,” was passed in San Francisco. It entitles tenants who have been served an eviction notice or lawsuit the right to a free attorney that provides representation through all stages of their case.
To fulfill this mandate, San Francisco funds several non-profit organizations to provide these services through the Tenant Right to Counsel (TRC) program. EDC serves as the lead agency for this work. The Tenant Right to Counsel dramatically changed the situation and options for tenants in San Francisco. Before this law was enacted, more than 90% of tenants facing eviction proceedings were self-represented. With Proposition F, our responsibilities and staff grew significantly. With this growth came additional capacity for EDC, enabling us to provide full-scope representation to tenants– and improving the outcomes we are able to achieve for our clients.
2020
COVID-19’s Impact on Housing
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, EDC was again at the forefront of the city’s housing crisis. The economic impacts of citywide shutdowns were severe, causing many businesses to close and an estimated 115,000 people to lose their jobs– approximately 14 percent of the city’s population. San Francisco Mayor London Breed implemented an eviction moratorium to protect people unable to pay rent during the pandemic and extended it several times. However, many landlords still evicted tenants by exploiting a health and safety “nuisance” exception. EDC took action to help interpret new and constantly evolving requirements, educate the public, and advocate for additional protections. And with newly available rental assistance funds from city, state, and federal sources, EDC’s RADCo program grew significantly during this time– helping many stay in their homes during these unprecedented times.
