Fighting Tenant Evictions
Rutgers Law School faculty and students were invited by the White House to recount their efforts to halt pandemic evictions in Newark through their pro bono work and inventive outreach collaborations. The Stop Evicting Newark Project began last fall after the Justice Department encouraged law schools to begin supporting tenants—before the Supreme Court ruled against eviction moratoriums in January. The Rutgers–Newark project represents tenants facing eviction by the Newark Housing Authority and has been particularly effective through its know-your-rights campaign. The team was led by professor Norrinda Hayat, who oversaw a $1.1 million state grant to expand pandemic eviction work at two clinics that she oversees, confronting housing discrimination, helping clients who are houseless, and challenging displacement and gentrification stemming from the loss of affordable public and subsidized housing.