National League of Cities, in partnership with Stanford Legal Design Lab, is launching the Eviction Prevention Learning Lab (EPLL) is a nationwide peer-to-peer network for cities and their partners to gain exposure to best practices, policies, and tools to prevent evictions throughout their communities. By providing capacity building, human-centered problem-solving work sessions, and opportunities for shared learning, this network will help cities develop and refine equitable interventions that prevent evictions.
With quarterly Learning Lab meetings that engage experts and organizations working in the field, access to a shared resource hub, and opportunities for cross-city collaboration or hands-on work sessions, the EPLL seeks to equip up to 10 cities and their partners with the tools they need to better address evictions locally. Apply to participate in the Eviction Prevention Learning Lab by Friday, June 14, 2024.
Eviction Prevention Learning Lab Commitment Focus Areas
Over a nine-month program period, participating cities will focus on three core areas:
Diversion Strategy
Working to develop or refine their city’s eviction diversion strategy to address evictions before an order is filled, during court proceedings, or after a household has been displaced.
Courts Support
Working to develop, refine or strengthen their relationships with local courts system and court officials.
Tenant and Landlord’s Communication, Outreach and Engagement
Working to develop, refine or strengthen their city’s communication, outreach and engagement to both tenants and landlords
Benefits for Participating Cities & Partner Organizations
Cities and their local partner organizations can expect to receive a range of benefits and support through their involvement in the Learning Lab, including:
- Peer-to-peer exchange with other cities in the EPLL.
- Interactive virtual programming with subject matter experts through quarterly Learning Lab Meetings.
- Periodic small-group workshops or office hours to discuss or collaborate around eviction prevention tactics, strategies, or challenges.
- Timely and relevant information about the state of evictions.
- Access to NLC resources and tools through a resource hub and newsletter.
Requirements for Participation
Cities interested in joining the EPLL should be prepared to do the following:
- Identify at least two city staff members to serve as lead participants for the city’s involvement, with additional participation from across city departments, agencies, and local community partner organizations highly encouraged.
- Create an action plan to develop or refine your city’s eviction diversion strategy, improve court support, or strengthen tenant and landlord’s communication, outreach and engagement strategies.
- Apply lessons from the EPLL to your local context.
- Be an active participant in three virtual learning labs and office hours.
- Identify, address, and remove racial disparities in your current eviction prevention strategy.
- Commit to creating an equitable eviction prevention strategy that supports both renters and landlords.
- Complete an initial onboarding survey, periodic progress reports and a final feedback survey at the conclusion of the program.
- Present your city’s action plan progress during the EPLL Capstone session.
Eviction Prevention Learning Lab Schedule
Participating cities should plan to actively partake in each of the three Learning Lab meetings. These video calls will feature engaging presentations from subject matter experts, highlighting each of the three core focus areas to improve municipalities eviction prevention strategies. Each meeting will be complimented by an optional small group session or office hours to discuss strategies specific to individual cities’ goals. Throughout the nine-month program period, additional tools and resources will be shared on an ongoing basis and participants will have the opportunity to connect within their cohort to raise questions and highlight success stories.
Learning Lab Meetings Calendar
- Wednesday, July 17, 2024: Orientation
- Wednesday, August 21, 2024: Eviction Diversion
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024: Office Hours & Small Group Workshop
- Wednesday, October 16, 2024: Court Support
- Wednesday, November 6, 2024: Office Hours & Small Group Workshop
- Wednesday, January 22, 2025: Communication, Outreach and Engagement
- Wednesday, February 19, 2025: Office Hours & Small Group Workshop
- Wednesday, March 19, 2025: EPLL Capstone
Who Should Apply?
- Is your city seeking to develop a fair and equitable eviction prevention strategy or improve upon a current strategy, that responds to not only the immediate needs of your community but addresses root causes of your local eviction crisis?
- Could your municipality benefit from dialogue with subject matter experts about causes of eviction and successive impacts on the community?
- Could your city staff benefit from peer-to-peer exchanges with other communities on strategies and success stories related to tackling the eviction crisis?
- Is your city interested in strengthening relationships between tenants, landlords and the court system?
- Could your city better leverage resources and assets at the local, state and federal level to ensure sustainable progress on eviction prevention?
- Is your city open to exploring new ideas and strategies while also sharing its own challenges, approaches and lessons learned in eviction prevention?
Did you answer Yes to the Above Questions?
If so, your city is strongly encouraged to apply for the opportunity to join the 2024 Eviction Prevention Learning Lab.
Application Requirements
- Commitment to embedding and operationalizing racial equity in municipalities local eviction prevention strategy.
- Identify and submit at least two (2) city staff members to serve as the lead participants for your city in the EPLL. Both lead participants are encouraged to invite additional city staff members and relevant external stakeholders or partners to participate in virtual programming on an ongoing basis. The Learning Lab can complement work that is being done through an existing city taskforce focused on eviction or can serve as a spark for developing an internal workgroup.
Note: Cities are not required to be members of the National League of Cities to participate in the EPLL. Communities of all sizes are encouraged to apply!
The 2024-25 Eviction Learning Prevention Lab is generously supported by Rocket Community Fund.
The Rocket Community Fund aims to simplify complex and inequitable systems to ensure that every American has access to stable, healthy housing. It also invests in people and practices that provide meaningful opportunities for education and employment.
Through its For More Than Profit model, the Rocket Community Fund recognizes that business and community are inextricably linked, and it purposefully harnesses team member talent, technology, policy advocacy and philanthropic resources to invest in comprehensive community development in Detroit and across the country.
Alongside financial investments, the Rocket Community Fund has organized Rocket Companies, Bedrock and other affiliated team members to provide more than one million volunteer hours nationwide, including more than 720,000 in Detroit.
For more information, visit RocketCommunityFund.org.
