The coalition includes the nonprofits Houston Volunteer Lawyers, an ancillary organization of the Houston Bar Association, and Lone Star Legal Aid alongside pro bono programs at Houston’s three law schools — South Texas College of Law Houston, the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and the University of Houston Law Center.

“The pandemic is over,” said Dana Karni, litigation director at Lone Star Legal Aid. “Now, we’re just dealing with our normal epidemic of evictions that’s ongoing. There are challenges. A lot of this work is dependent on funding. Where there’s funding, there’s opportunity to put lawyers, paralegals, intake workers and support staff into various courts.”

A recent Kinder Institute survey on Houston residents’ policy preferences found that 81% of respondents supported the investment of public dollars toward initiatives that would make sure everyone facing eviction has legal representation. However, even if funds were available, multiple attorneys in Houston said the number of eviction cases far exceeds the supply of available lawyers.

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