HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-22-25 Public Comment - A. Shchemelinin - Tenants Right to Counsel - . ! !hc,hewi&J1or'
As a first-generation immigrant from a socialist country and a mother of three currently adult
children, I have a personal experience of being poor, renting for 18 years because of
unaffordable housing prices and paying more than 50% of my family income to rent a place in
a good school district where my children could learn decent English.
The main lesson that renters like me learned during many years of renting during housing
crises caused by mass migration is that the more the government tries to regulate the law of
supply and demand, the more it hurts the people they supposedly help. In the case of rental
housing, working tenants, especially working families with children, are the ones being hurt
the most.
In Bozeman, taking taxpayers' money to hire attorneys is unhelpful and fiscally unjustifiable
because tenants already have more than enough legal help available.
Here is the list of resources available for tenants to protect their rights:
Montana Eviction Intervention Project—Working as a contract MEIP attorney with the Montana
Legal Services Association is a unique opportunity to represent lower-income people while
learning landlord-tenant law and getting paid at the Modest Means rate. For more information
or to apply to be a part of MEIP, contact Brenna Gradus at bgradus(EDmtlsa.orq or 406-543-
8343, ext. 209.
LegalShield - Provides legal advice for renters facing an eviction. Good source of FREE legal
information to protect renters' rights. For more information, contact
memberservices(a)legalshield.com or +1-800-654-7757
Montana Fair Housina - Private, full-service, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating
housing discrimination. For more information, contact 1-800-929-2611, 406-782-2573, or
by email.
IUSTIA Lawyers - Provides a list of top-rated Montana attorneys serving in Bozeman.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - HUD handles complaints about
housing discrimination and bad landlords. For local resources, contact a housing counseling
agency.
IpropertyManagement - Provides educational resources to help tenants learn their rights.
Rental Housing Rights for Disabled Tenants - Helpful tools for tenants when a landlord uses
discriminatory housing practices.
Local Bozeman MT Landlord & Tenant Lawyers - When tenants have to use legal help because
landlords violate tenants' rights, landlords are legally obligated to pay all legal expenses for
both sides.
As you can see, properly educating the Bozeman community about the resources available to
them, can avoid unnecessary expenses and reduce taxes on already greatly overtaxed
Bozeman taxpayers.