E.V. Yost

The Project

E.V. (they/them) will increase housing stability for low-income Marylanders with disabilities by providing direct legal representation for people facing eviction or housing insecurity. Many people are faced with this issue due to the lack of adequate support services or the housing provider’s failure to provide reasonable accommodations or modifications to ensure equal use and access. E.V. will leverage the benefits of Disability Rights Maryland (DRM)’s Fair Housing settlements by systematically promoting the inclusion and integration of people with disabilities in the community.

While housing discrimination against people with disabilities is prohibited under Federal law, people with disabilities routinely face difficulty obtaining and remaining sustainably housed in affordable, accessible homes. People with disabilities are more likely to experience unemployment and poverty and are more likely than their non-disabled peers to be significantly rent-burdened. As of 2017, an estimated 44% of all recipients of federally subsidized housing assistance were people with disabilities. Like other low-income renters, people with disabilities often have difficulty finding legal representation, resulting in eviction and loss of housing, which often leads to worsened health outcomes.

Fellowship Plans

E.V. will provide direct legal representation to tenants with disabilities facing eviction, subsidy termination/denial, who require assistance submitting and negotiating reasonable accommodation/modification requests, or who are otherwise at risk of housing instability for reasons related to their disability in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Prince George’s County. In collaboration with other Equal Justice Works Housing Justice Program Fellows working in Baltimore City, they will engage in outreach and provide educational resources, including Know Your Rights trainings to community groups, participants of subsidized housing programs covered by Fair Housing Settlements, other service providers supporting people with disabilities, and coalition partners.