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Associated PressIn this photo taken Oct. 14, housing activists erect a sign in Swampscott, Mass. A federal freeze on most evictions is set to expire soon. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Idaho, Washington renters facing differing circumstances Idaho tenants wonât be protected from evictions when federal ban ends July 31; Washington moratorium stays in place until Sept. 30
Associated Press
EXPLAINER: WA tenants get eviction reprieve, but how long?
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EXPLAINER: Washington tenants get eviction reprieve, but how long?
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Minister Naughton announces changes to Civil Legal Aid eligibility
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Minister Naughton announces changes to Civil Legal Aid eligibility
Review of Civil Legal Aid Scheme commencing this year.
The Minister of State with special responsibility for Civil and Criminal Justice, Hildegarde Naughton, TD, has today announced positive changes to the eligibility criteria for the Civil Legal Aid Scheme.
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I am pleased to announce that the Legal Aid Board will no longer include the Housing Assistance Payment in their calculation of entitlement to civil legal aid”.
“This will have a positive impact for families and individuals who are of modest means and are in receipt of HAP or any other housing support measure provided by a Department of State or any other public body. This will no longer be an impediment to them accessing legal advice and representation where the other criteria of the scheme are met.”
Washington is first state to give right-to-counsel protections to these litigants
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill Thursday that gives low-income tenants a right to a lawyer in eviction proceedings.
Washington is the first state to give indigent tenants a right to counsel, the Seattle Times reports. Several cities have passed similar laws, and seven other states are also considering doing so.
The state’s Office of Civil Legal Aid estimates that it will have to hire 58 new lawyers, as well as contract lawyers, after the state lifts its eviction moratorium, which is now scheduled to end June 30, according to the Seattle Times. The projected cost is $11.4 million in the first year.