The court could not immediately say how many tenants did not show up on Monday. But Chief Judge William C. McConico said that Detroit’s Housing Court — like many other such courts across the country — now looks “completely different.”
In the days before Covid, evictions in the city were 10,000 per year. Tenants could be thrown out of their homes for missing just one court date. A state Supreme Court ruling now requires that tenants appear in two housing courts before they can be evicted. Some low-income renters now have free access to lawyers, thanks to a program funded by federal Covid dollars during the pandemic and now supported by a foundation and the city.
Kenyatta Jeff, 31, experienced the good and the bad changes on Monday.
They said that he and Shermeka, his girlfriend of 32 years, had to miss a full day of work each. He works in an automobile plant and she at Ford Field (the city’s football stadium). The couple also brought their 3-month-old baby, who was a constant source of attention from people.
They said that by the time they arrived at court for their second and perhaps final hearing, they had been 10 to 15 minutes behind schedule. They were also told that the default judgment was already in favor of Jefferson’s mother, their landlord.
Kenyatta Jefferson, left, his 3-month-old daughter and his girlfriend Shermeka Powell were nearly evicted after arriving late to court.
Sarah Rice for NBC News
Jefferson stated that this would not have happened had the court still been available online. “I would have arrived on time, and I wouldn’t have needed to cancel my work.”
Jefferson’s mother who requested anonymity said that she had to leave her daycare business, which operated 24 hours a day, because of the absence. She said it was worth the sacrifice because her son is rude, doesn’t pay rent and has a high water bill. She also stated that she believed her son to be at least 30 minutes tardy for court.
Jefferson was able to get help thanks to the legal aid program that provides free services to tenants. Jefferson was referred to organizations whose staffers now work out of closets or offices near the courthouse. One of the men began to prepare paperwork in order to have his case reopened. Powell and He hope to stay in their house on Detroit’s East Side. Powell said, “It is so unbelievable.” “It’s really important to have a place to live when you have children.”
In the United States, more and more courts hold hearings online, compared to the time before the pandemic. Samira Nzem, the director of the National Center for State Courts’ eviction diversion program, told us that this is not the only change in housing courts.
Nazem stated that “there has been a cultural shift in the housing court”.
