skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, February 7, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Grant helps Legal Aid of NE Housing Justice Project amidst rising evictions

play audio
Play

Thursday, September 5, 2024   

From July, 2023 to July, 2024, Nebraska landlords filed more than 10,000 eviction cases. That's compared with an average of around 8,400 filings per year between 2012 and 2019. Legal Aid of Nebraska's Housing Justice Project represents hundreds of Nebraskans facing eviction each year, and a new $50,000 grant from the United Way of the Midlands will help with this work.

Scott Mertz, Housing Justice Project Director, said the shortage of quality affordable housing makes it a bit of a "seller's market," contributing to the rise in evictions.

"People are not shy about just going right to eviction court when they have tenants that they want to just get rid of. It's relatively easy; it's relatively quick," he explained. "That's also something we'd like to push back against - make it a little more difficult, make it a little more time-consuming, so that people aren't just going right to the eviction."

Mertz pointed out that even when an eviction filing in Nebraska ends without a court judgment, it will show up on a person's background check. This can impact their housing and even employment options for years to come. In 2023, 60% of eviction filings nationwide were against women, with Black women disproportionately represented.

A "clean-slate" bill which would have "sealed" eviction filings when cases were dismissed or vacated was unsuccessful in the recent Unicameral session. Mertz says the potential long-term harm an eviction filing can cause keeps a percentage of the people they see from pursuing their rights in court.

"They talk to us and say, "Well, I got this notice; I don't agree with it." We think there's a case here; there's evidence. We're more than happy to present it. But they leave anyway because it's scary - having a day in court and having your name in a case that's never going to go away, " he continued.

Mertz said the United Way grant will help toward their goal of doing more "affirmative litigation," that is, addressing issues before they reach a court filing.

"Quality of housing, conditions, safety concerns, discriminatory practices in renting or terminating housing. These are all things that happen all the time, and we can only do so much with the resources and the amount of attorney hours that we have, " he explained.

He encourages anyone concerned they face a risk of losing their housing to call or go online to find out what their rights and options are. And he stresses that things move very fast from eviction notice to court date.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
Opponents of a South Dakota bill that would require the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms say it would be an unfunded mandate. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A South Dakota House committee takes up a controversial bill today that would require all school districts in the state to display the Ten Commandment…


play sound

Virginia ranks third behind only Maryland and Delaware among the worst states for the average amount of back wages companies owe to their workers…

Environment

play sound

Some North Dakota school districts are part of a movement that has embraced electric school buses, but the federal funding shakeup carried out by the …


Florida immigrant advocacy groups are intensifying efforts to help undocumented individuals navigate encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. (David Peinado/Pexels)

Social Issues

play sound

Immigrant advocates in Florida are ramping up efforts to help families navigate President Donald Trump's new immigration orders, which have increased …

Social Issues

play sound

The rate of U.S. high school seniors seeking higher education is on the upswing, according to research from Lumina Foundation. Although Hoosier …

Gov. Kathy Hochul's free community college proposal would apply to people pursuing first-time associate degrees for jobs in high-demand fields, including nursing, teaching, technology and engineering. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

New York State is making historic higher education investments. As part of the 2026 budget proposal, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposes free community …

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed state budget includes a significant increase for public education to address Pennsylvania's school funding issues and …

Social Issues

play sound

Alabama nonprofits are coming together to tackle challenges that may threaten their survival, from declining donor support to shifting federal …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021