What's at stake:
The Fresno City Council approved a resolution drawn up by Councilmember Tyler Maxwell, which exempts the Eviction Protection Program from income restrictions and verifications — requirements typically placed on funding from the Local Housing Trust Fund.
The City of Fresno will not restrict the Eviction Protection Program based on a specific household’s income or require income verification for people the program helps.
The decision was made during the Thursday city council meeting with little fanfare. Councilmember Tyler Maxwell brought forward a resolution that would ensure the Eviction Protection Program, which protects Fresno tenants from illegal evictions, would be exempt from program restrictions.
The item passed on the meeting’s consent agenda, without any discussion.
City Council President Mike Karbassi made a special note to register a “no” vote on the resolution. Consent agenda items are all approved with a single vote, and the council did so a little before breaking for lunch at noon on Thursday.
Maxwell was not immediately available for comment. He previously told Fresnoland that it didn’t make sense to limit the Eviction Protection Program based on a specific income threshold, or require individuals to verify their income before receiving help.
Based on data from the City Attorney’s Office, it appears that the program already has a rigorous intake process that weeds out a notable chunk of calls. In the 2025 fiscal year alone, less than half of all eviction protection calls were forwarded to outside counsel for legal help.
Maxwell’s resolution directs city administrators to exempt the Eviction Protection Program from requirements set forth on Local Housing Trust Fund dollars, a funding source that appears to be the one lifeline to keep eviction protection alive right now in Fresno.
Considering the program’s intake process, along with the time-sensitive nature of an eviction, Maxwell said it doesn’t make sense to require people to show proof of income.
“It was a program designed to help prevent people from becoming homeless,” Maxwell told Fresnoland last week. “Whether you’re making $10,000, $50,000 or $60,000, if you’re in a place where you’re going to be potentially illegally evicted and you don’t have the funds to hire your own attorney, it really shouldn’t matter. You should be able to rely on the city’s services.”
Maxwell added that he felt like he “had the wool pulled over my eyes” a few months ago by city administrators who recommended the Local Housing Trust Fund as the funding source to keep the Eviction Protection Program alive.
Back then, he said he didn’t know the program’s funding came with restrictions.
During Thursday’s meeting, the Fresno City Council also approved a $324,000 contract with the Poverello House for its mobile shower and restroom operations. The city is funding the service through the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention state grant program.
The Fresno City Council also moved forward with putting $1 million toward a pilot program that will train Fresno youth to guide unhoused people through specific homelessness services.
“Opportunities will be created for youth to serve as Navigators to help Californians at risk of or experiencing homelessness attain healthcare, public benefits, housing, or other necessary social services,” according to a staff report. “54 members, or Navigators, are expected to be hired over the life of the grant, which ends December 31, 2026.”
