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Tenant advocates say Maryland faces an eviction crisis; praise access-to-counsel and tenant safety law
Summary
Legal aid, NAACP and community organizers told the committee that eviction filings remain high, that access-to-counsel programs show strong results and that the tenant safety law’s rent‑escrow consolidation is already being used in cases.
Speakers from Maryland Legal Aid, Renters United Maryland, NAACP and CASA told the Environment and Transportation Committee that eviction filings are widespread, disproportionately affect Black renters and that recent tenant protections and legal aid investments have shown measurable results.
"Maryland unfortunately is experiencing an eviction crisis," Zafar Shah, advocacy director for the Human Right to Housing program at Maryland Legal Aid, said during the panel. He cited litigation and market forces that put additional pressure on renters, including a Department of Justice complaint involving commercial pricing software used by…
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