August 10, 2021 News for Community Partners from Legal Aid

Legal Aid Updates

Free Eviction Help
Visit freeevictionhelp.org for information and resources!
Free Eviction Help provides legal assistance to tenants facing eviction so those tenants may stay in their homes or locate better housing, stay out of emergency shelters, and keep their children in school. A lawyer can help a tenant improve housing conditions, and avoid eviction and homelessness. Families helped also may receive information about resources for rental assistance, case management, access to food, and other important services.

Legal Aid works to help as many people as possible with eviction cases. Thanks to COVID-19 federal funding via Cuyahoga County, Legal Aid is working together with United Way to do outreach and provide help to people facing eviction.

Employment Matters for Social Service Providers
Our recent training for social service providers focused on the basics of employment law matters such as criminal record sealing, employment discrimination, and federal taxes for low-income taxpayers. You can view the presentation and discussion at Legal Aid’s YouTube channel, where you can also find previous trainings for community partners and much more.

Stay tuned for future community legal education events. Suggestions for topics are welcome – please email outreach@lasclev.org to share an idea.

Virtual Meeting Resources Page
Do you have a virtual court hearing coming up? Libraries across Northeast Ohio are providing rooms and/or equipment to conduct virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom, MS Teams, and WebEx. View a list of such resources, including how to reserve rooms and check out technology, at https://lasclev.org/virtualmeetingspaces/

Life & The Law – Conversations About Your Rights
Thursday, August 19 at 10:00 a.m. on WOVU 95.9FM
Legal Aid will join Our Voices Today, WOVU's signature community affairs program, for a conversation with host and WOVU Production Director T.C. Lewis.

On August 19th at 10:00 am, Legal Aid staff will be live on WOVU to share empowering legal information and answer listener questions. This month's topic is community engagement and will emphasize Legal Aid's work with partners and how we engage in outreach to respond to community needs.

Interested in tuning in live? Visit this link at 10:00 am on August 19th to stream the conversation through your browser.

Legal Aid Facebook Live series
Back to School
Tuesday, August 31^st at 5:00 p.m. on Facebook
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and Cleveland Public Library's 2021 Facebook LIVE series features "know your rights" information through discussion with our own Legal Aid attorneys, Cleveland librarians, and special guest experts.

This August 31 session is aligned with "back to school" season, and will focus on legal issues related to education and how legal aid provides access to education help in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. Legal Aid and Cleveland Library staff will be in conversation with attorneys focused on access to education.

Click on this link to visit the event page to join us.

Local Updates

How should Cleveland distribute millions in federal American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA) dollars?
Like cities throughout the country and the state, Cleveland will receive an influx of funds via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to jumpstart a sustainable, equitable economic recovery from the pandemic. Cleveland will receive $511 million, which must be spent by December 31, 2024, and must be used for the broad categories of 1) supporting public health response, 2) replacing public sector revenue loss, 3) addressing negative economic impacts, and 4) water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.

The City of Cleveland wants to know how residents, stakeholders, and community members want to prioritize ARPA funds and their allocation. Please share your ideas by completing the City’s survey at https://www.clevelandohio.gov/arpa. According to a news article, City Hall, neighborhood recreation centers, and the Public Utilities Building all have drop boxes to share their ideas, and residents who receive a water bill will get their questionnaire in the mail.

Cleveland Community Police Commission Satisfaction Survey
This survey from the Cleveland Community Police Commission is intended to help the Cleveland Community Police Commission assess the impact of training reforms mandated by the U.S. Department of Justice in the 2015 Consent Decree. This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. You can fill the survey out here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CPC-CSS-2021

LMHA Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List
The Lorain County Metropolitan Housing Authority will be accepting pre-applications for the Housing Choice Voucher program waiting list. They are due by August 27, 2021.
Click here for more information.
Click here for the link to the pre-application.

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics
For appointments and information call or text Claudia Longo (216) 318-7759 – hablamos espanol

• Every Tuesday, Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital | Castele Learning Center, 1730 West 25th St. Cleveland, 44113 from 7:30am-3:30pm. Register online or call 216-448-4117. Flyer in shared folder.
• Every Tuesday, J. Glenn Health Center, 11100 St. Clair Ave. from 1p – 6:30p. Walk-in or pre-register at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov; phone 216-664-2222 for assistance.1st and 2nd dose Pfizer and Moderna and one-dose J&J. Flyer in shared folder in English and Spanish.
• Tuesdays and Fridays, International Community Health Center - Akron, 370 E. Market Street, Akron, OH 44304 from 8:30 AM- 5:00 PM. To register, call 234-300-3400.
• Every Thursday, McCafferty Health Center, 4242 Lorain Ave, from 1p – 6:30p. Walk-in or pre-register at gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov; phone 216-664-2222 for assistance.1st and 2nd dose Pfizer and Moderna and one-dose J&J. Flyer in shared folder in English and Spanish.
• Case Western Reserve University, Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center at 2138 Adelbert Road. Check eligibility, call 216-368-1964. For more information, visit CWRU website.
• The Centers & Circle Health Services is offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Register online or by phone at: 216-325-WELL
• Neighborhood Family Practice is offering walk-in or scheduled vaccine appointments at all seven community health center locations. Register online or call 216-281-0872 for assistance. Flyer in shared folder.

 MetroHealth Standing Clinics:

• Main Campus Pharmacy, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland, OH 44109, Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm
• Parma MetroHealth Pharmacy, 12301 Snow Road, Parma, OH 44130 Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm
• Cleveland Heights Pharmacy, 10 Severance Circle, Cleveland, Heights OH 44120 Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm
• Broadway Pharmacy, 6835 Broadway Ave, Cleveland, OH 44105 Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm. Moderna only.
• Ohio City Health Center Pharmacy, 4757 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102 Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm.
• Old Brooklyn Pharmacy, 4229 Pearl Rd. Cleveland, OH 44109. Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm
• Middleburg Heights Pharmacy, 7800 Pearl Rd. Middleburg Heights, OH 44130. Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm
• Brecksville Pharmacy, 9200 Treeworth Blvd. Brecksville, OH 44141 Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm.
• Buckeye Pharmacy, 2816 E. 116th St., Cleveland, OH 44120 Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm.
• Bedford Pharmacy, 19999 Rockside Rd. Bedford OH 44146 Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm.

 State and National Updates

Help for Homeowners
The Ohio Housing Finance Agency announced the Save the Dream Ohio: Help for Homeowners program last week. The program, using the American Rescue Plan's Homeowner Assistance Fund,　will provide mortgage assistance to homeowners that are financially struggling due to the pandemic. The program will assist with utilities, property taxes, homeowner association fees, and mortgage payments.

Homeowners are eligible to receive assistance if they experienced a financial hardship after January 21, 2020, and have incomes equal to or less than 150 percent of the area median income. More information is available on the Ohio Housing Finance Agency website.

Unemployment Claimants with Overpayments Can Now Apply for Waivers
Unemployment Compensation claimants with non-fraud overpayments that they received at no fault of their own can now request waivers. If approved, the waiver would absolve the claimant from repaying the overpayment to the state. Money will be returned to claimants who qualify for a waiver but previously repaid the overpayment.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has started notifying individuals, by U.S. mail or electronically, who are potentially eligible for the waiver and providing them with detailed instructions for how to apply. Later this summer, once system programming is complete, the waiver applications will be reviewed, and approved waivers, honored.

Notifications are being sent to claimants in the traditional unemployment program and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. If approved, all portions of overpayments could be waived, including the supplemental weekly $600 and $300 payments that were previously available as a result of federal stimulus legislation.

Advance Child Tax Credit
Do you know about the new Advance Child Tax Credit made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act? Advance Child Tax Credit payments are early payments from the IRS of 50% of the estimated amount of the Child Tax Credit that you may claim on your 2021 tax return during the 2022 tax filing season.

Learn more about eligibility, how to receive payments, and more at: https://lasclev.org/what-should-i-know-about-advance-child-tax-credit-payments/

As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

Erik F. Meinhardt
Development & Communications Associate
Direct: 216.861.5450
Main: 216.861.5500
Email: erik.meinhardt@lasclev.org

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
1223 West 6^th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
www.lasclev.org

Rights. Dignity. Justice.