New Report: Racial Disparities in Safe Housing

Legal Aid commissioned Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) for a research initiative that connected the realities of Cleveland’s current housing crisis that make it nearly impossible for families to find good quality, affordable rental housing in Cuyahoga County.  The research provides a blueprint for impactful action to address these realities and promote racial justice.

As the only civil legal aid organization serving Northeast Ohio, Legal Aid has long been on the front lines of the fight for safe and affordable rental housing. Everyday our housing law attorneys witness the severity of the eviction crisis and its disproportionate impact on Black families. Conditions issues, notably lead paint hazards, are virtually unavoidable in affordable rental units throughout Cuyahoga County and especially in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Thanks in part to a generous grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation, Legal Aid partnered with CWRU to gather hard data that clearly illuminates the disparities that exist for those seeking good quality, affordable rental housing in Cuyahoga County.

Researchers Francisca García-Cobián Richter, Michael Henderson, and Grace Harrison from the Center on Poverty and Community Development at CWRU examined the intersections of race, rental prices, poor housing conditions, and the prevalence of lead among rental units across Cuyahoga County. Their findings have been compiled into the report Racial Disparities in Safe Housing.

Click here for the PDF file or view the report in the window below.

This research demonstrates how, “[r]acial discrimination continues to impact housing stability and access to good quality housing.” Neighborhoods where rental housing is affordable and most residents are people of color carry the burden of a deteriorated housing stock plagued by disproportionally high lead hazards.

The report specifically identifies East Cleveland as an area with a particularly dire eviction crisis. In East Cleveland, eviction cases were filed at a rate 1.4 times higher than in Cleveland. The municipality also has the most distressed rental housing stock and by far the highest level of lead risk in Cuyahoga County.

The Racial Disparities in Safe Housing Report will play a crucial role in advancing access to good quality, affordable rental housing for families with low incomes. Ohio’s legal community, policymakers, and other key stakeholders can use the findings of this report to advance equity in housing, help tenants avoid eviction, hold landlords accountable for maintaining properties, and advocate for the expanded use of programs like housing choice vouchers that help improve housing stability.

Specifically for Legal Aid, this report will allow us to advocate more effectively for the growing number of people who are turning to us for help with housing issues. As we represent families in housing matters, our attorneys can use this report as evidence to help our clients stay safely housed.

For more information about the findings of this report, or to schedule interviews with the CWRU report authors or attorneys at Legal Aid involved, please contact Legal Aid’s media relations contact, Melanie Shakarian at 216-861-5217.

And if you need legal help with an eviction, please contact Legal Aid through our online intake form or by calling our Tenant Info Line at 216-861-5955.