Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Eviction Right To Counsel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Scores of tenants urge Bozeman commissioners to fund a ‘right to counsel’ for eviction cases
Summary
Dozens of tenants, tenants’ advocates and people with lived experience spoke during public comment, urging Bozeman commissioners to fund a right-to-counsel program for eviction court and to act quickly to prevent homelessness and reduce downstream public costs.
Dozens of tenants, advocates and people with lived experience urged the Bozeman City Commission to fund a program that provides legal representation to tenants facing eviction, saying it would keep people in their homes and reduce long-term public costs.
Representatives of Bozeman Tenants United and individual renters described rent increases, poor landlord practices and the power imbalance tenants face in eviction court. Speakers included tenants, unhoused residents and organizers who said legal representation is already available to criminal defendants but missing in eviction cases.
Josh McGaffrey, a leader with Bozeman Tenants United, said local experts had presented evidence that a right to counsel is legal and effective and cited a Montana Legal Services Association statistic, read into the record, that 49% of households sent to eviction court include at least one child. McGaffrey said roughly 94% of households in eviction court do not have an attorney.
Other speakers described personal experiences: lack of maintenance and sudden rent increases, threats of eviction that disrupt jobs and schooling, and the difficulty of navigating court without counsel. Several speakers credited nationwide examples and said right-to-counsel ordinances have been adopted in other cities and states and can save money over time.
Speakers asked the commission to fund right-to-counsel on the city’s upcoming agenda; several urged action at the next meeting. The commission did not take action during the May 6 meeting; staff and commissioners heard the testimony.
