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Evictions: How to stay safe while fighting for your home

Eviction hearings were put on hold, until now. Here's the No. 1 action you need to take, how to stay safe while at a hearing, and where to find help.
Credit: WFMY News 2

SAN ANTONIO — Renters who are not up to date with their payments could soon be forced out of their homes. Until now, people have been protected from eviction during the coronavirus pandemic, but eviction proceedings will begin again on June 15. 

The No. 1 action you want to take if you are being evicted is to show up to your hearing, otherwise, the court decides in favor of the landlord. You can still appeal your case, but you have a better chance of fighting the eviction if you come to the first hearing. Yet, the courts are holding hearings differently because of the coronavirus. Here is what you need to know:

First, you will notice signs and caution tape to help you social distance in courtroom if you decide to come to an eviction hearing in person. Court capacity will be limited to 25 percent. Dockets will be staggered. Plus, there are even more safety measures.

“We have sanitizers placed throughout the building" said Judge Rogelio Lopez, Jr., who handles eviction cases. "Obviously, we take temperatures and do a questionnaire on folks. Masks are required. Then we talked about cleaning in between all the dockets."

Or skip the trip to the Justice of the Peace court entirely and hold a hearing in your home.

“You can appear by Zoom or you can do a telephonic appearance as well. Those options are open to anybody," said Lopez. 

Call the court if you need instructions on how to set up a remote hearing.

The courts are also working to help you keep your housing.

“We do have mediators present at our court to help landlords and tenants solve the solutions," said Lopez. "So definitely want to do that. We are actually having representatives from both Bexar County and the city present at our eviction dockets, who are available to assist with or provide rental assistance."

Other resources to help you find alternative housing quickly are the Bexar County Housing Authority Temporary Rental Assistance Measure and the city’s emergency housing program

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