A new multi-agency effort aimed at helping local tenants facing eviction was announced Thursday morning. Legal experts say the pandemic has exacerbated the county's eviction issue, with attorneys bracing for double or triple the number of evictions in the next few months. The new effort — the Special COVID Intervention Part, or SCIP — will ensure that every landlord-tenant case will flow through a single part of the city court system. The program also gives tenants the opportunity to access legal counsel.
This hour, our guests discuss the program, how tenants can access it, and its possible impact on the looming eviction crisis. Our guests:
- Alex Turner, eviction prevention representative for the Homeless Services Network, and community resource services program director at Catholic Family Center
- Mark Muoio, program director of the Housing and Consumer Law Unit and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, NY