This week, East Bay Housing Organizations launched a research report with our partners My Eden Voice, that was covered this week in The Mercury News.
This report, titled “In the Shadows of Eden: Rising Rents, Evictions, and Substandard Housing Conditions in Alameda County,” is the first of its kind. It shares the results of the first Area-wide survey of renter needs in Alameda County’s Eden Area and shares policy recommendations for protecting tenants County-wide.
The Eden Area is the name for the urban unincorporated area of Alameda County, including Ashland, Cherryland, Castro Valley, Fairview, Hayward Acres, and San Lorenzo. The area is home to 150,000 people, greater than the population of the City of Berkeley.
In the results of our survey data, we found that the thousands of renting families in the Eden Area are uniquely vulnerable to rising rents, evictions, and landlord harassment due to their lack of tenant protections, and many tenants are living in apartments with major habitability issues.
Our policy recommendations include a proactive rental inspection program, local just cause and rent stabilization ordinances, the establishment of a rent board to enforce state law where it does apply, a rental registry, and increased funding for legal services earmarked for the unincorporated areas.
Alternatively, you can watch a YouTube video presenting the report’s findings.
To join our coalition to fight for tenant rights sign up for campaign updates, read this report, and share it on social media!