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Emily Benfer on Muck Rack

Emily Benfer

As seen in: The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Washington Post Opinions, Aol, NBC News, Newsweek, Taylor & Francis Online, The Hill, The Boston Globe and
Covers:  housing, eviction, public health, health justice social justice, racial justice, law
she/her | law prof George Washington University Law School | research collaborator Eviction Lab Princeton University | former White House Senior Policy Advisor

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Emily Benfer’s Journalist Portfolio

The COVID-19 Eviction Crisis: an Estimated 30-40 Million People in America Are at Risk - The Aspe...

The COVID-19 Eviction Crisis: an Estimated 30-40 Million People in America Are at Risk - The Aspe...

The United States may be facing the most severe housing crisis in its history. According to the latest analys…

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Health Justice Strategies To Combat COVID-19: Protecting Vulnerable Communities During A Pandemic

Health Justice Strategies To Combat COVID-19: Protecting Vulnerable Communities During A Pandemic

Health justice is an emerging framework for using law and policy to eliminate unjust health disparities. It o…

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Articles

‘ If I wouldn’t have had them, I would’ve been lost ’ : Tenant Right to Counsel in Cleveland

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By Leah Robinson, Emily Benfer, Danya Keene
| Taylor & Francis Online
Abstract As eviction filings begin to surpass pre-pandemic levels and the consequences of eviction for health, well-being, and stability become increasingly recognized, legal assistance has emerged as a growing strategy to prevent evictions and their well-documented negative sequelae. Between July 2017 and December 2025, 27 U.S. jurisdictions passed right to counsel (RTC) legislation, formally establishing a right to legal counsel for tenants in eviction proceedings.
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More renters are getting lawyers during evictions, and that’s a good thing Original

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By Peter Hepburn, Emily Benfer
| The Hill Verified
Last year, landlords in Los Angeles filed almost 90,000 eviction cases. These cases are hard on tenants: Beyond just the immediate loss of housing, eviction leads to drops in income, higher rates of homelessness, serious health issues, and even increased risk of death. Yet the vast majority of Angelenos who navigate the complex eviction court process do so alone. That is about to change.
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A Descriptive Analysis of Tenant Right to Counsel Law and Praxis 2017-2024

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By Emily Benfer, Peter Hepburn, Leah Robinson, Valerie Nazarro
| Taylor & Francis Online
Abstract This article provides the first comprehensive description of state and local tenant right to counsel (RTC) policies. From July 2017 through June 2024, five states, 17 cities, and one county passed legislation to formally create a right to legal counsel for tenants in eviction proceedings. These policies contain heterogeneous provisions, including their intended purposes, design and administration requirements, eligibility criteria, and when in the eviction process the right is triggered.
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