At a packed Guilford County budget hearing on June 5, tenant advocates urged commissioners to allocate nearly $850,000 to prevent evictions and support housing stability. The grassroots group, Keep Gate City Housed, made a visible and vocal push to extend services currently funded by federal relief dollars, warning that without continued support, the cost to the county would be far greater.
Calls for School, Housing Aid
More than 30 speakers appeared before the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, voicing opinions on the proposed 2025-2026 budget. While most emphasized the need for increased school funding, Keep Gate City Housed supporters also packed the Old Guilford County Courthouse, waving pom-poms after every speaker representing their cause.
$850K to Extend Services
Keep Gate City Housed, founded in 2024 alongside the American Friends Service Committee North Carolina, is requesting $850,000 to continue its eviction prevention program through June 30, 2026. The program, now funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars through December 2025, faces an uncertain future without local government support.
Mediation Before Court
A representative from the UNC-Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies described efforts to assist over 3,000 clients by offering mediation services to settle landlord-tenant disputes outside court. “Our program is about mediation,” she said. “We aim to help people avoid going to court. We have reached out to landlords so we can let them know the center is available for an attorney to come and resolve the issue.”
Tenant Advocates Speak Out
Tenant organizer Terrell stressed the importance of proactive tenant education and community organizing. “Our big piece right now has been educating tenants – upstream planning and problem solving,” he said. He called on commissioners to show foresight in addressing housing instability, noting the group’s growing network of affordable rental properties.
Legal Aid’s Court Role
A Legal Aid of North Carolina attorney highlighted how county funding enables their presence in eviction court. “We recently expanded to be there four days a week, which is all the days that court is in session in Greensboro,” she said. “Without continued county funding, we cannot continue that level of service. Every day we see the difference this is making in people’s lives.”
Housing Instability’s Costs
A criminal defense attorney drew a direct line between housing insecurity and rising community problems. “So many of my clients have had unstable housing situations,” he said. “They get evicted and end up in areas plagued by gun violence. Their kids are displaced from schools. It’s all connected.” He urged commissioners to see the budget as more than numbers, saying, “Our budget is a moral document of what a community values.”
Advocates Warn of High Eviction Rate
Speakers reminded the board that eviction impacts all demographics, from students to veterans. One supporter told commissioners, “This is not about leading – this is about us. It’s about the people you drive past every single day.” Another attorney shared how an eviction hearing recess allowed tenant advocates to intervene. “If that gentleman had court on a day we weren’t funded to be there, he might never have been connected to services,” she said.
Legal Representation Challenges
Keep Gate City Housed pointed to Guilford County’s sharp eviction numbers, with 16,000 notices last year and only 10 percent of tenants having legal representation, compared to 90 percent of landlords. Other cities’ examples were cited: Louisville spends $400,000 annually on prevention programs, while Cleveland invests over $3 million in legal and rental assistance. Local programs like the TEAM (Tenant Education and Advocacy Movement) initiative, run by Legal Aid and UNCG, have helped 30 percent of represented tenants avoid eviction. Though commissioners face tight budget constraints, advocates argued that the long-term cost of evictions outweighs the price of prevention. “This is about making sure there’s someone there to help,” one speaker pleaded.
