Legal Support for Older Tenants

Elder Tenant Assistance Project (ETAP)

Vulnerable seniors risk losing their homes.

Nearly 92,000 Californians over 65 were not caught up on rent in 2021.

Nearly 50% of all homeless people in the US are 50 or older.

Almost 50% of homeless people in the US became homeless for the first time after age 50.

Due to ever-rising rents, many seniors reach a point where they cannot afford their rent and face eviction. In other cases, elder tenants have viable defenses but no way to present them. Plus, some landlords fail to provide reasonable accommodations for aging tenants.

At an advanced age, moving becomes more difficult. Without the financial means to get help, many vulnerable seniors are at risk of homelessness.

We protect seniors’ housing rights.

Through ETAP, we provide strategic legal support to seniors facing eviction and uninhabitable living conditions.

We ensure landlords provide reasonable accommodations for seniors with limited mobility. When seniors face unlawful detainer judgments, we help them navigate all their legal options. This may mean securing adequate time to locate appropriate housing or helping them remain in their units.

Our lawyers are passionate about preventing homelessness. Through our work in the community, we ensure seniors’ basic housing rights are protected.

LEGAL SERVICES

How It Works

ETAP is a one-on-one legal services program for seniors who face eviction or uninhabitable living conditions.

1

Understand the problem.

We begin by listening to the client and learning about their housing issue.

2

Provide Legal Advice.

Next, our elder law attorney walks the client through their rights and options for resolving the issue.

3

Advocate For Justice.

Many issues can be resolved without escalating to litigation. If a client needs to go to court, we will provide the support or connect the client to the right representation.

Landlord-Tenant Specialization

Landlord-tenant law has become increasingly complex. In order to serve the large number of seniors with these challenges, we keep an elder law attorney on staff with specific experience in this area of law. This allows us to serve seniors in our area more effectively.

Preventing Older Adults Homelessness Collaborative

We are part of a collaborative that convenes legal services providers in California that focus on preventing homelessness among older people. Together, we address systemic housing-related problems and seek large-scale solutions for low-income seniors experiencing housing instability or at imminent risk of homelessness.

Our Reach

Our elder law attorneys support older people across San Diego and Imperial counties.

#

housing cases each year

10

elder law attorneys

40+

years serving seniors

Get Legal Help

If you or a loved one is 60 or older and in need of legal support, we’ll connect you to someone who can help.

Support equity for seniors.

Join us in our mission to get vulnerable older people the legal support they deserve.