To respond to skyrocketing housing instability, we launched a pilot housing program in South Carolina, which currently faces the highest levels of potential evictions in the nation. Based out of Columbia, S.C., the program pairs volunteer housing navigators - trained NAACP members, faith leaders, social workers, and law students - with tenants facing eviction. Navigators work with tenants to access critical legal and nonlegal services, like rental assistance, and help tenants understand their legal rights and prevent eviction.
The program also links tenants who are behind on rent with a new pro bono eviction diversion clinic, staffed by local lawyers to represent those tenants in critical negotiations with their landlords. So far, more than 60 navigators and 40 pro bono lawyers have volunteered their time and expertise.
With your generosity, we're ready to develop similar programs elsewhere in the country.