Eviction

New Orleans officials are working to bring the Rx Kids cash-assistance model to the city as a way to combat poverty-driven maternal and infant health problems. Rx Kids, founded in Flint, Michigan, by pediatrician Mona Hanna, gives pregnant parents a one-time $1,500 payment followed by six months of $500 monthly payments after birth. Studies of the Michigan program found steep drops in evictions, neonatal mortality, NICU admissions and low birthweights, along with more consistent prenatal care.

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Jennifer Avegno, who runs the city's Family Connects home-visiting program, says families repeatedly cite basic needs — food, rent, utilities, diapers — as their biggest struggle, making the direct-payment approach appealing. A pilot targeting New Orleans East would cost about $4 million a year, with citywide expansion estimated at $10 million annually. Officials are looking to combine federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds with philanthropic support, though the effort faces headwinds amid the city's broader budget crisis.

A bill to cap annual rent increases statewide at 7% plus inflation cleared the California Assembly this week after author Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) agreed to limit the policy to three years, down from an original 10-year proposal with a lower 5% cap. A companion bill, AB 1481, which would have required landlords to state a cause before evicting tenants, failed to get a vote before the Assembly deadline, though its authors say they may try to fold similar protections into Chiu's bill in the Senate.

The rent cap exempts newer construction and small landlords owning 10 or fewer single-family homes, and does not alter existing rent-controlled units or the Costa-Hawkins Act. Landlord groups and the California Association of Realtors, which helped defeat a 2018 rent-control ballot initiative, oppose the measures, arguing they discourage housing development. Backers, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, say the changes are needed to protect millions of cost-burdened renters. Advocates warn a weakened bill could revive a 2020 ballot initiative push by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

A gunman who fatally shot two people and wounded several others, including three police officers, at the Shoreline Plaza apartment building in Minneapolis on Wednesday has been identified by a city official as Carlton Neal Johnson II, 35, who was also killed. Investigators had not confirmed how he died as of Wednesday night. Court records show Johnson was facing eviction from the subsidized building over accusations he assaulted a resident and threatened others while displaying a firearm; a June letter from the building's lawyer cited statements that he had obtained a new gun and "would kill someone." A separate 2023 restraining-order filing accused him of sending a woman over 120 threatening text messages.

Police arrived within minutes of the first 911 call and found more victims and gunfire on an upper floor. Officials say officers' rapid response likely prevented greater loss of life. No motive has been disclosed, and the investigation is being led by Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The New Orleans City Council voted Aug. 20 to direct $750,000 in funds recovered from New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity toward the Right to Counsel program, which provides free legal representation to residents facing eviction. The money will fund Southeast Louisiana Legal Services through the rest of the year. Advocates, including Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center's Monique Blossom and Jane Place's Y. Frank Southhall, backed the move, citing racial disparities in evictions — more than 85% of those facing eviction in New Orleans are Black, and over 55% are Black women.

The funds stem from the mayor's administration canceling a $2 million deal with Habitat in April after the nonprofit failed to use the money to help homeowners with rising insurance costs. Council Member Eugene Green also criticized Habitat's sale of 32 rental properties, including units in Musicians' Village, to a private Metairie firm that tripled rents for longtime tenants.