As a follow-up to our post from May 20, 2020, “Evictions Are Once Again on the Docket,” we wanted to make sure that our readers were aware of two new tools to help residential tenants facing evictions. Lone Star Legal Aid has introduced its Texas Eviction HELP Project. Using an interview format, the tool provides information about the eviction process and includes links to trusted resources. To begin, just click on the big red button, “Start Eviction Interview.” No account is required to run the interview; just accept the terms and conditions, and you’re good to go. The step-by-step guide will help tenants with documentation and provide information about new laws that might give tenants extra protection. Just be sure to have any paperwork or eviction documents ready during the interview. Additional resources on the Lone Star Legal Aid website include: the LSLA CARES Tool to help tenants determine whether the property is subject to the CARES Act, educational blogs and videos covering a wide array of topics, and some helpful publications for further reading.
The second useful tool can be found on TexasLawHelp. TexasLawHelp has created a COVID-19 Eviction Answer Toolkit to help tenants respond to an eviction. The toolkit includes instructions for filling out the eviction answer form, which can be found on the website. There is also information about finding out whether the CARES Act protects tenants from eviction, answers to frequently asked questions about the Answer form itself, and helpful articles about evictions in general.