Advancing Racial & Health Justice Through a Right to Counsel for Tenants

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New local and state laws that guarantee tenants' right to counsel offer a promising opportunity to address housing instability and related racial and health disparities.

Establishing the right to counsel for tenants facing eviction can help more people across the United States remain in a safe and stable home — particularly those in households that have low income or are disproportionately affected by historical and ongoing discriminatory policies and practices. 

In collaboration with our partners, ChangeLab Solutions has created a primer to offer steps that public health practitioners can take to advance racial and health justice by supporting right-to-counsel efforts:

• Support policy development
• Make the case for tenants’ right to counsel as a public health issue
• Support community leadership
• Establish cross-sector partnerships to address challenges related to housing stability, housing quality, and health
• Strengthen community outreach and referral networks
• Train stakeholders on the connections between housing, health, and equity

Advancing Racial and Health Justice Through a Right to Counsel for Tenants: A Primer for the Public Health Field was developed by ChangeLab Solutions, Human Impact Partners, the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, PolicyLink, and Results for America, in partnership with the American Public Health Association and the de Beaumont Foundation, as part of the Healing Through Policy initiative.

Read the primer.

Explore this topic further by watching our webinar recording Advancing Racial & Health Justice Through a Right to Counsel for Tenants. This webinar is for public health practitioners, lawyers, organizers, local government staff and officials, and all those interested in advancing health through a right to counsel for tenants.

Watch the webinar.