Detroit Evening Report: Gilbert Foundation’s eviction defense fund surpasses 6K households goal early
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The Gilbert Family Foundation’s eviction defense fund program connected more than 6,400 households to free legal support, already surpassing its year one goal.
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About half of the 6,453 households were given full legal representation, and the other half obtained legal advice.
Director of Detroit initiatives for the Gilbert Foundation, Darnell Adams, said the program’s original goal was just 6,000 in their first year.
“The data has shown us the most economically-disadvantaged among us who tend to face eviction at a disproportionately higher rate are Black people in Detroit,” Adams told Bridge Detroit. “A lot of people don’t have anywhere else to go and they end up becoming unhoused. The cycle of being unhoused and rehoused over and over begins to erode at one’s mental health, especially for underprivileged residents.”
Having exceeded the original goal, the Gilbert Foundation aims to reach even more households in their second year while supporting the Detroit’s newly established eviction defense office.
Read: Eviction filings rising in Detroit
The focus of the Gilbert Foundation program was to help low-income families with children. Despite the success, housing advocates point to a need for more funding.
The initiative was formed through $12 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, but estimates show a need of $27 million annually.
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