Access to justice: How we can improve eviction court proceedings in Colorado

This week on The West Steps, we discuss Colorado’s eviction process with Jack Regenbogen, Deputy Executive Director at the Colorado Poverty Law Project, and Sarah Barnes, Director of Family Economic Prosperity Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. Sarah and Jack lay out a policy that would help keep families across the state in safe, stable housing if passed during the 2023 legislative session. Both Jack and Sarah have been working with their respective organizations to institutionalize what many housing advocates feel is a best practice: accessibility of remote participation in eviction proceedings.  

This episode explores how eviction courts have changed throughout the pandemic and the ways in which virtual participation could help those who have been systemically targeted by inequitable housing policies and practices. Sarah also outlines a bill the Children’s Campaign is working on in partnership with Enterprise Community Partners that would improve the quality and transparency of eviction data. In combination with more accessible eviction hearings, more consistent, comprehensive data on these processes can ensure that we better understand who is most affected by eviction – and how best we can prevent families from facing eviction in the first place. To learn more or get involved in this work, contact Sarah at sarahb@coloradokids.org, or Jack at jack@copovertylawproject.org.  

Resources 

• Policy advocacy toolkits and resources [Visit our linktree] 
• Remote eviction proceedings fact sheet [Read the fact sheet] 
• KidsFlash blog [Subscribe to Kidsflash]