March 10, 2025
Op-ed by Emily A. Benfer and Rishi Manchanda in the Baltimore Sun
A new study published last month by the American Medical Association showed that the stress of an eviction scars the youngest members of a family and is directly linked to higher levels of depression in children. In Maryland, where nearly 7 in 10 renting households face eviction every year and over 200,000 kids live in families facing housing loss, this is more than cause for alarm; it’s a public health crisis.
As an attorney and a physician who have represented and treated hundreds of patients traumatized by housing precarity, we know firsthand that where health begins is not in the exam room. All too often, it’s in the courtroom. But in Maryland, even when tenants follow the law, pay their rent on time, care for the rental property and respect their lease agreements, they are still at risk of losing their homes through “no cause” eviction.
A pending bill in the Maryland legislature could curb this problem. Senate Bill 651 would enable counties to opt in to “good cause” eviction rules that require landlords to tell the court why they are evicting a tenant — like being late on rent, damaging the property, violating the lease or other legal reasons.