Resident urges Fort Worth to expand eviction prevention and landlord mediation programs after tenant complaints

Chris Wood, a resident of District 9, urged Fort Worth City Council to consider eviction-prevention programs, landlord mediation and housing-advice services after describing a friend's repeated lease violations and fines at a local apartment complex.

Wood said his friend was fined $50 last fall after reporting a trash pickup problem to the leasing office and later received additional lease violations after posting negative reviews. The friend subsequently faced a threatened eviction and, Wood said, received a written warning that if her dog urinated on landscaping rock she could be fined $300 and lose the right to keep the animal in the unit. Wood described the dog as an emotional support animal that provides the tenant comfort.

Wood said the tenant cannot afford a lawyer, lives paycheck to paycheck and fears eviction would leave her homeless. He urged the council to consider programs other cities use — eviction-prevention counseling, landlord mediation and housing-advice services — to reduce homelessness and help tenants maintain housing, saying those programs could help people in similar situations in Fort Worth.

Wood’s remarks were made during the public comment portion of the meeting and were presented as citizen testimony; no council action on the specific requests was recorded at the session.