With $2.25 million Cleveland Foundation Gift, Legal Aid is Bolstered as Catalyst for Community Change

Legal Aid has received a $2.25 million 3-year grant from the Cleveland Foundation to support our work to implement right to counsel in Cleveland Housing Court.

The City of Cleveland asked United Way to manage implementation for the new law, and Legal Aid is the program’s legal provider. Initial work for this program, called Right to Counsel Cleveland, will be
funded jointly by philanthropy/private support and government support. The long-term viability of the program will rely on data and evaluation, which will influence the structure of sustainable government support.

Legal Aid will ensure that every eligible family receives free and high-quality legal representation beginning in July of 2020. Legal Aid will provide this legal representation via staff attorneys, contract attorneys, and pro bono volunteers.

Cleveland is the first city in Ohio and fourth in the United States to implement right to counsel in housing