Join us in the library or online for this program co-hosted by ACLU of Delaware.

All Delawareans— regardless of their circumstances or background — should have safe and stable housing. However, despite 72% of Americans believing housing is a human right, Delaware’s eviction filing rate is four times the national average.

When it comes to fighting those eviction filings, the power is stacked in favor of the landlords, not the renters. 86% of landlords have legal representation in eviction proceedings, but only 2% of renters have that representation. In a court system that is hard to navigate, having legal representation in eviction proceedings can be the key difference in losing or keeping one’s housing — up to 30% of landlord’s eviction cases are won by default, because renters don’t feel that they can fight the complaints on their own. It’s clear that a lack of representation is severely affecting residents' ability to maintain safe and affordable housing–disproportionately for Black renters, especially Black women renters, who face eviction filings at twice the rate of their white counterparts.

From this panel of experts, you will learn about eviction inequity and housing disparities and what we are doing right here in Delaware to combat this dangerous trend, including information about SB 101, which was proposed in Delaware during the most recent legislative session.

• Sandra Park, Senior Attorney, ACLU National Women's Rights Project
• Ian Thompson, Senior Legislative Advocate, ACLU National
• Javonne Rich, Advocacy & Policy Director, ACLU-DE

Moderated by Mike Brickner, Executive Director, ACLU-DE.

Following current CDC guidelines, it is recommended in-person attendees wear a mask. If you do not wish to wear a mask, you can participate online via Zoom.

NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer.

If you have need assistance with registration or getting your Zoom invitation, please email us.

Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for all our sessions. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.