HOUSING OFFICIALS LAUD RULING

High Court Puts 'Teeth' In Drug Abuse Evictions

Denver and Boulder housing authority officials on Tuesday praised a U.S.
Supreme Court ruling that permits zero tolerance of drug abusers but said
they hadn't been waiting for the decision to start evicting tenants.

"(The ruling) allows honest neighbors to live in that community and
penalizes those conducting illegal activities," said Stella Madrid,
intergovernmental relations officer for the Denver Housing Authority.

The court ruled that a public housing tenant can be evicted if a family
member or guest uses drugs -- even if the tenant didn't know about it.

Since the Denver Housing Authority implemented its zero-tolerance policy in
1998, officials have evicted 13 tenants involved in illegal drugs from the
agency's more than 8,500 public housing and Section 8 units.

All tenants undergo extensive screening and orientation when they're
selected for public housing, authorities said. They are told that any drug
use or trafficking could result in an eviction.

"The tenant knows they are firsthand responsible for themselves, their
families and their guests," Madrid said. "We really drive it home that it's
their responsibility."

A Boulder housing official said the high court's decision will help keep
drug problems out of city public housing.

"We certainly don't face the same types of issues that larger city agencies
face," said Laura Norris, director of Housing Services for Boulder Housing
Partners.

But "the legislation is helpful to us in trying to get some teeth into our
eviction policies," Norris said.

Tenants have been notified explicitly of the eviction policy upon signing a
lease with the city, Norris said.

"Boulder County courts don't like to evict people from public housing, so
we're pretty careful with the cases we take forward," Norris said.