Fresno’s Eviction Protection Program credited with keeping hundreds in housing as council weighs funding

The Fresno City Council heard a detailed progress report on the city’s Eviction Protection Program on April 3, with outside counsel and city attorneys saying the program has prevented unlawful evictions, removed eviction records in some cases and negotiated moves or payments to keep tenants from becoming homeless.

The presentation, led by the city attorney’s office and outside firms Immersion Shankar Legal Inc. and Borton Petrini, said the program has handled thousands of tenant inquiries since it launched and that, after screening, more than 1,500 matters were referred for legal representation. The city’s legal team reported 237 unlawful-detainer actions were prevented from appearing on tenants’ records and 241 households reached settlements that allowed them to remain in their homes.

Those outcomes matter because an eviction on a tenant’s record often makes finding a new rental impossible, and households that rely on housing-choice vouchers can lose them if an eviction is recorded. “If a tenant has an eviction on their record, that 3.8% of vacant units are going to be almost impossible for them to get,” said Ina Shankar, an attorney with Immersion Shankar Legal Inc., explaining why tenant representation changes outcomes.

City attorneys and outside counsel described common case patterns: tenants living in units with habitability problems (mold, plumbing failures, infestations), landlords refusing to cash tenants’ money orders, or landlords alleging nonpayment even when tenants had proof of payment. The report included representative case summaries: one tenant family negotiated a settlement that reduced demanded back rent from $20,000 to $3,000 and avoided an eviction on the record; another tenant facing an imminent lockout was able to stay and receive a rent credit after counsel intervened.

Erica (city attorney’s office) walked the council through program metrics and trends: the office has received more than 2,600 calls since EPP began; more than 1,500 intakes advanced to outside counsel for representation; and in the program’s earlier years, when federal emergency rental assistance funds were available, cases were resolved more quickly. As pandemic-era rental assistance and some legal protections ended, counsel said the cases that remain are more legally complex and time-consuming to litigate or resolve. That increased complexity is the main reason the city’s legal team estimates continuing the program at current service levels would cost about $2 million to $2.5 million in fiscal 2026, excluding a more robust public outreach campaign.

Council members from across the dais praised the program’s results and pressed staff on policy and budget details. Council Vice President Miguel Arias and Councilmember Tyler Maxwell both framed the program as a cost-effective alternative to increased homelessness and emergency shelter spending. “Stopping the inflow to homelessness is cheaper than building a shelter bed afterwards,” Arias said, noting cases where legal intervention preserved housing for veterans and families with children.

City Manager Mark White and other city staff noted the program’s budget will be part of the mayor’s upcoming proposed budget; staff said the program historically has been funded with a mix of grant and local money and that the mayor’s proposal will include a recommendation for continuing support, although exact numbers will be finalized in the May budget release.

Council members signaled broad support for continuing EPP at meaningful funding levels. Several members said they want to protect the program from being scaled back during the budget process because preventing evictions, counsel and staff told the council, keeps people out of shelters and averts higher downstream public costs.

Next steps: staff will return with budget details during the mayor’s proposed FY 2025–26 budget and continue to coordinate with outside counsel and code enforcement on outreach and case handling. Councilmembers asked staff to supply a clear written budget ask and to identify any efficiency gains that could lower per-case costs without reducing services.

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