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Eviction Protection Grant Program

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Eviction Protection Grant Program


What We Do

A First-of-its-Kind Federal Program Expanding Tenant Access to Eviction Legal Services

In 2021, HUD launched the Eviction Protection Grant Program (EPGP), a first-of-its-kind federal program designed to expand the reach of legal services to low-income tenants at risk of, or subject to, eviction. Millions of families face eviction each year, whether through formal court processes or through extra-legal evictions. Evicted tenants, especially children, face significant long-term consequences. Yet, most tenants do not have access to legal assistance that may help them reach more mutually beneficial resolutions with landlords or defend against illegal evictions. The Eviction Protection Grant Program (EPGP) aims to help fill this gap.

Why It Matters

Demand for Tenant Legal Services Far Outpaces Available Local Resources

Demand for EPGP services far outpaces current funding levels, making it one of PD&R’s most sought after and oversubscribed grant competitions. From a pool of over 120 applicants to its inaugural Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), HUD funded 21 initial EPGP grantees in fiscal years (FY) 2021 and 2022 that provided no-cost legal assistance to prevent or divert eviction and mitigate the consequences of eviction across 19 states. As of September 30, 2024, grantees have provided legal assistance to over 44,000 households, representing a rapid scale-up to meet tenant needs.

The response to PD&R’s latest FY 2023/2024 NOFO competition set a new record, demonstrating the overwhelming demand for eviction legal services from state, local, and tribal governments and non-profits across the country. More than 230 applicants, a 91 percent increase from 2021, sought FY 2023/2024 EPGP funds. Applicants meeting the technical and scoring requirements for funding consideration requested more than $234 million in support for legal services, outstripping available EPGP appropriations by nearly sixfold.

Improving Tenant Outcomes and Building the Eviction Protection Evidence Base

EPGP is a vital resource for both tenant households facing eviction and the grant recipients that are able to expand access to legal services, form strategic partnerships, and conduct outreach. Through this program, PD&R has also expanded the evidence base around eviction prevention, diversion, and relief programming as local, state, and federal policymakers consider new ways to support tenants and landlords and build new eviction systems and processes.

Providing Legal Assistance to Those Who Need It Most

EPGP grantees have consistently demonstrated their ability to provide legal assistance to tenant households that reflect demographic characteristics similar to groups identified as experiencing a higher risk of eviction nationally.

Achieving Measurable Tenant-Stabilizing Benefits Through a Broad Spectrum of Legal Services

Overall, 92 percent of tenant households with tracked outcomes data saw a measurable benefit after receiving EPGP legal services. These stabilizing benefits were most pronounced among tenant households that received extensive representation, regardless of their eviction risk status.

  • More than 80 percent of tenant households that received extensive representation involving legal advocacy or court proceedings experienced preserved tenancy, prevented eviction filings, or negotiated settlements. Fewer than 5 percent experienced eviction or displacement.
  • Among tenant households that received other limited or brief legal services, 35.1 percent had their tenancy preserved, 7 percent prevented eviction filing, and 6 percent negotiated a settlement. Approximately 13 percent reported an eviction judgment or displacement.
  • Other prevention or tenant protection benefits tenants achieved through EPGP include securing rental and non-housing assistance, waived back rent, sealed eviction records, additional days to move out, and delayed evictions.
  • Grant recipients faced challenges when collecting outcome data for some tenant households due to the brief nature of some legal services and service delivery methods.

Together, EPGP grantees have successfully expanded access to eviction protection services in underserved communities, prevented evictions, negotiated agreements between tenant households and landlords, and helped prevent and mitigate the harmful effects of displacement and eviction.

FY 2023/2024 Awards

With $40 million available FY 2023 and 2024 funds, HUD awarded new grants to 21 non-profit and governmental recipients to provide legal services to tenants across 16 states. Ten of these recipients serve rural areas, including 9 statewide programs covering Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Eleven others serve single- or multi-county local or regional metropolitan geographies. Together, new recipients offer a full spectrum of legal services to low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction, including representation, advice, alternative dispute resolution, court navigation, education and outreach, as well as collaborative eviction prevention work.



overview icon  Overview

In FY 2021, PD&R launched the Eviction Protection Grant Program to support families recovering from the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first of its kind for the Department, the Eviction Protection Grant Program funds experienced legal service organizations providing legal assistance at no cost to low-income tenants at risk of, or subject to, eviction. With rising rents, record inflation, and economic uncertainty in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, these services come at a critical time for families across the country and offer a unique demonstration opportunity for the Department and broader eviction diversion initiatives. PD&R announced inaugural awards to 10 legal service providers totaling $20 million in November 2021 and quickly expanded the program to an additional 11 grantees in May 2022 with another $20 million in FY 2022 funds. In January 2025, PD&R announced $40 million in FY 2023 and FY 2024 awards to 21 recipients serving tenants in 16 states.


Program Objectives icon  Program Goals

The goal of EPGP is to increase housing stability for low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction by funding eviction prevention and protection work. Legal assistance provided through grantee projects may help achieve the following outcomes for low-income tenants:

  • Help tenants avert eviction and prevent eviction filings.
  • Help tenants exercise and enforce their housing and civil rights and ensure the legal process during eviction is fair.
  • Increase tenant access to, and participation in, non-adversarial resolutions outside of the court system.
  • Help tenants avoid the harmful consequences of eviction and gain access to stabilizing resources.

Program Services and Beneficiaries icon  Program Services and Beneficiaries

EPGP grantees provide a variety of legal services to low-income tenants facing eviction, including:

  • education and outreach and "know your rights" campaigns
  • legal information hotlines and legal advice
  • housing court navigation
  • legal representation (including in landlord negotiation/mediation)
  • mass eviction response and prevention
  • fair housing defense related to eviction
  • service provider referrals and benefits assistance
  • self-help technology like online form builders for responding to eviction notices
  • collaboration with courts, judges, and others to create and promote eviction diversion programs

Beneficiaries served by the program must meet all three of the following criteria: (1) be a tenant, (2) be low-income, and (3) be at risk of or subject to eviction.


Grant Recipients

In January 2025, PD&R announced $40 million in FY 2023 and FY 2024 awards to 21 recipients serving tenants in 16 states. The program’s initial 21 grantees funded in FY 2021 and FY 2022 served tenants in 19 states, implementing a total of 11 statewide eviction protection programs as well as 12 local and regional programs:


Location

Grantee

Funded Partners

Service Area
San Bernardino, CA Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, CA
Hartford, CT Connecticut Fair Housing Center
  • Connecticut Bar Foundation
  • Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, Inc.
  • Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut (LSC)
  • University of Connecticut Law School
 Connecticut Statewide
Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc.
  • Florida Legal Services, Inc.
  • Gulfcoast Legal Services, Inc.
  • Legal Aid Service of Broward
  • Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc.
  • Northwest Florida Legal Services, Inc.
 Florida Statewide
Miami, FL Legal Services of Greater Miami (LSC)
  • Community Justice Project, Inc.
 Miami-Dade County, FL
Atlanta, GA Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation Fulton County, GA
Boise, ID Idaho Legal Aid Services (LSC)

 Idaho:

  • Boise State University
  • Intermountain Fair Housing Council, Inc.
  • The Jesse Tree of Idaho, Inc.

Montana:

  • Montana Legal Services Assoc. (LSC)

Utah:

  • Utah Legal Services, Inc. (LSC)
 Idaho Statewide, Montana Statewide, and Utah Statewide
Lafayette, LA Acadiana Legal Service Corporation (LSC)
  • Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation (LSC)
 Louisiana Statewide
Worcester, MA Community Legal Aid (LSC)
  • Greater Boston Legal Services
  • MetroWest Legal Services
  • Northeast Legal Aid (LSC)
  • South Coastal Communities Legal Services (LSC)
 Massachusetts Statewide
Portland, ME Pine Tree Legal Assistance (LSC) Maine Statewide
St. Louis, MO Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSC)
  • Legal Aid of Western Missouri (LSC)
  • Legal Services of Southern Missouri (LSC)
  • Mid Missouri Legal Services Corporation (LSC)
  • Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council (EHOC)
 Missouri Statewide
Edison, NJ Legal Services of New Jersey
  • South Jersey Legal Services (LSC)
  • Legal Services of Northwest Jersey (LSC)
  • Northeast New Jersey Legal Services (LSC)
  • Central Jersey Legal Services (LSC)
  • Essex-Newark Legal Services
 New Jersey Statewide
Las Vegas, NV Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Clark County, NV
Albany, NY Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (LSC) Cities of Albany and Amsterdam, NY
Geneva, NY Legal Assistance of Western New York (LSC)
  • Legal Aid Society of Rochester
  • JustCause
 14 counties in Western New York:
  • Allegany County
  • Cattaraugus County
  • Chautauqua County
  • Chemung County
  • Livingston County
  • Monroe County
  • Ontario County
  • Schuyler County
  • Seneca County
  • Steuben County
  • Tioga County
  • Tompkins County
  • Wayne County
  • Yates County
New York, NY Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
  • TakeRoot Justice
  • Community Action for Safe Apartments
  • Metropolitan Council on Housing
  • Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, Inc.
 Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City, NY
White Plains, NY Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSC)
  • Community Voices Heard, Inc.
  • Hudson Valley Justice Center, Inc.
 Dutchess County, NY
Toledo, OH Advocates For Basic Legal Equality
  • Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LSC)
 7 counties in Northwestern Ohio:
  • Allen County
  • Auglaize County
  • Champaign County
  • Clark County
  • Logan County
  • Mercer County
  • Miami County
Oklahoma City, OK Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma (LSC)
  • Fox Strategies
16 counties in Northeastern Oklahoma:
  • Adair County
  • Cherokee County
  • Craig County
  • Creek County
  • Delaware County
  • Mayes County
  • Muskogee County
  • Nowata County
  • Okmulgee County
  • Osage County
  • Ottawa County
  • Rogers County
  • Sequoyah County
  • Tulsa County
  • Wagoner County
  • Washington County
Charleston, SC One-Eighty Place
  • Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, Inc.

  • Charleston Legal Access
  • SC Thrive
  • South Carolina Legal Services (LSC)
 4 counties covering Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina:
  • Charleston County
  • Dorchester County
  • Lexington County
  • Richland County
Jackson, TN West Tennessee Legal Services Incorporated (LSC)
  • Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LSC)
  • Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LSC)
  • Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. (LSC)
 Tennessee Statewide
San Antonio, TX San Antonio, TX
  • St. Mary's School of Law's Center for Legal & Social Justice
  • Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (LSC)
 Bexar County, TX