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Current News

Right to Counsel Give Low-Income Families Facing Eviction a Fighting Chance

October 01, 2019

Cleveland has become the first city in the Midwest to provide free legal assistance to low-income tenants facing eviction.

Cleveland City Council unanimously passed ground breaking legislation last night (Sept. 30) to ensure low-income tenants at risk of losing their housing can receive free legal representation.

The legislation notes that 60 percent of the approximately 9,000 eviction cases filed each year in the city include households with children.

The ordinance reads in part: “. . . due to a lack of resources and an inability to obtain legal representation, Cleveland’s most vulnerable residents are frequently evicted by landlords represented by competent council.”

In sponsoring the legislation, Council President Kevin Kelley said, “Without knowing their legal rights as tenants and without knowing how to navigate the legal system, many low-income families are forced out of their homes. This leads to family turmoil and disruption of the children’s education.”

A study by Case Western Reserve University shows that an average of just $1,200 in rental support would have prevented a family’s eviction, a fraction of the cost of a family’s stay in an emergency shelter. Cleveland is only the fourth city in the U.S. to pass this legislation which will stabilize the person in need to prevent the eviction and break the cycle of poverty.

The legislation, known as “The Right to Counsel,” is a proven model that has saved millions of dollars in U.S. cities, including New York City. Ord. No. 1001-2019.

Current News

Right to Counsel Give Low-Income Families Facing Eviction a Fighting Chance

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