The Hamilton County General Sessions Court has received a national grant to help residents avoid eviction and increase housing stability.
The two-year grant for $211,000 was provided by the National Center for State Courts, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization, through its Eviction Diversion Initiative.
Hamilton County was one of 13 communities nationwide to receive the grant that includes funding for a dedicated city employee to connect tenants and landlords with services such as legal aid, counseling and rental assistance programs.
“Having someone here at the courthouse assisting both sides of a particular lawsuit can hopefully help to ensure that justice is being served,” said Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Alexander McVeagh in a Wednesday phone interview. “That is why my colleagues and I are excited about this opportunity.”
The organization’s grant supplies the court with about $146,000 the first year and $64,000 the second, with the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga matching the second year’s grant.
“The grant is geared toward providing a new staff position to work within the eviction court, within the housing court, to try to connect housing providers and tenants with resources including rental assistance, legal aid, mediation and other community services that may be available to try to resolve cases without adversarial litigation and to reduce the number of evictions,” Samira Nazem, who oversees the National Center for State Courts’ eviction grant program, said in a Wednesday phone interview.
Joda Thongnopnua, Mayor Tim Kelly’s chief of staff, said in a Wednesday phone interview the city employee will have a salary between $50,000 and $60,000. The grant will cover the salary and benefits, which add up to roughly $99,000.
“We’re really excited about being able to partner with the county and court in this way,” Thongnopnua said. “It definitely demonstrates that we’re tackling housing from a holistic perspective, not just from the housing supply side, but also making sure people can afford to stay in their homes and, when they are at risk of eviction, they have the support they need to stay securely within their home.”
The funding from the National Center for State Courts, which was distributed to courts in eight states and Washington, D.C., was made possible by a $10 million grant to the organization from the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Contact Logan Hullinger at lhullinger@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow him on Twitter @LoganHullinger.