[BoulderCouncilHotline] NEWR Implementation

[Meschuk, Chris]

Dear City Council & Community Members,

In the 2020 election, Boulder voters approved Ballot Issue: 2B - No Eviction Without Representation. The passage of the measure affirms the Boulder community's commitment to the core values of Boulder being a welcoming, inclusive and diverse community offering a diversity of housing types and price ranges. This measure helps the City of Boulder to further its commitment to keeping residents housed by creating an additional funding source to expand existing and create new interventions providing protections to tenants who face the loss of housing through eviction. The following information provides an overview of the resources and services currently in place that will continue to be available into the future and the work underway to implement the initiative offering resources and protections to tenants at risk of eviction.

City staff are currently convening and working to implement goals of the NEWR measure. This includes several aspects of the measure, including:

  *   the collection of a tax on rental properties,
  *   establish and support a program to coordinate the effort including the provision of legal representation,
  *   rental assistance, and
  *   appointment of a tenant committee.

If funding is needed to establish the program before enough tax revenues are received to support the program, staff has identified city funds that could be loaned to establish the program and replenished with the collected revenues resulting from this measure. It is our intention to pursue this funding approach to accelerate the establishment of the legal representation.

While it may take some months to bring all of the elements together, staff is working to find a solution to provide legal services to those facing eviction as soon as possible.  Staff is working to have a contract in place to provide legal representation in eviction court hearings as early as January 2021.

As staff works to establish the program intended by the ballot measure, the programs currently available will continue to be offered to community members into 2021 and beyond, to protect housing stability for our community members.

To augment federal and state eviction moratoriums, the City of Boulder and its partner agencies, have expanded supports to ensure all community members impacted by the pandemic can remained housed, including:

  *   Boulder County Housing and Human Services creation of the Housing Helpline (303-441-1206). A centralized phone center provides guidance on how to self-resolve, work with community mediation programs or ultimately seek rental assistance to community members at risk of losing housing.
  *   Rental Assistance is available through community agencies and local housing authorities. For a list of access points, please contact the Housing Helpline or visit bouldercolorado.gov/coronavirus-resources-for-individuals-and-families<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbouldercolorado.gov%2Fcoronavirus-resources-for-individuals-and-families&data=04%7C01%7CMeschukC%40bouldercolorado.gov%7Ced19751b7ccb4e3a95f408d88cae6c4b%7C0a7f94bb40af4edcafad2c1af27bc0f3%7C0%7C0%7C637414028061441256%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=DSTDGbmOVYZh23yRjRldXGF6Wy6HJj7kgO8XnCML5RA%3D&reserved=0>
  *   City of Boulder Community Mediation Services Program is available to seek resolution to landlord-tenant disputes. Mediation is available to tenants at any point prior to the court appearance, and can even take place before a notice to appear is posted. Community Mediation is also offered onsite the day of eviction court providing mediators and technology to facilitate remote mediation, if needed.
  *   bouldercolorado.gov/community-relations/mediation-program<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbouldercolorado.gov%2Fcommunity-relations%2Fmediation-program&data=04%7C01%7CMeschukC%40bouldercolorado.gov%7Ced19751b7ccb4e3a95f408d88cae6c4b%7C0a7f94bb40af4edcafad2c1af27bc0f3%7C0%7C0%7C637414028061451210%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=4BvMaNNlqGNRAJVDG0rpMZV7xEtZHI%2BSD5OCgDPa7ng%3D&reserved=0>;
  *   Colorado Legal Services continues to provide free civil legal services to low-income individuals in Boulder County including landlord/tenant cases. www.coloradolegalservices.org<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coloradolegalservices.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7CMeschukC%40bouldercolorado.gov%7Ced19751b7ccb4e3a95f408d88cae6c4b%7C0a7f94bb40af4edcafad2c1af27bc0f3%7C0%7C0%7C637414028061461166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=ufpC3k8BwVaU7KSWmNhBKpag17i3RL0oQ2uXHBJ3CO4%3D&reserved=0> or 303-449-7575
  *   City of Boulder staff have partnered with the courts to ensure courts provide landlords and tenants information about free community mediation services when a case is filed or a summons is issued.
  *   A Rental, Evictions and Foreclosure FAQ is continuously updated and available in English and Spanish at bouldercolorado.gov/community-relations/mediation-program<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbouldercolorado.gov%2Fcommunity-relations%2Fmediation-program&data=04%7C01%7CMeschukC%40bouldercolorado.gov%7Ced19751b7ccb4e3a95f408d88cae6c4b%7C0a7f94bb40af4edcafad2c1af27bc0f3%7C0%7C0%7C637414028061461166%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Ccd0Jd2jU6eBbYLkgeyqx9GpM%2BrVdpJKKz1X%2FfD8oNU%3D&reserved=0>
All of these resources and services will continue to be available into 2021 and beyond the pandemic.

Staff is eager to continue to expand and continue to create resources needed to ensure all Boulder residents are able to grow and thrive in this community. And we thank the Boulder community for the passage of this message affirming the shared commitment to Boulder being an inclusive and diverse community.

Staff intends to provide a more detailed implementation plan and report on actions in the coming months.

Thanks, Chris


Chris Meschuk
Interim City Manager
(pronouns: he/him/his) What's This?<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mypronouns.org%2Fwhat-and-why&data=02%7C01%7CMeschukC%40bouldercolorado.gov%7Cef9ba977146f40dae4d608d859cfb097%7C0a7f94bb40af4edcafad2c1af27bc0f3%7C0%7C0%7C637358095834295316&sdata=kx4Z19p8YLKYORR2%2BeEw0xlPALKoTcC0m74A3JfmLwA%3D&reserved=0>

[CMO_lockup_COBlogo]
O: 303-441-3090
meschukc at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:meschukc at bouldercolorado.gov>

City Manager's Office
1777 Broadway St. | Boulder, CO 80302
Bouldercolorado.gov<http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/>

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