Wednesday, May 29, 2024
honoring Legal Aid's work to promote housing justice
and
highlighting 119 years of Legal Aid success and continued efforts to extend justice
5:00 p.m. – registration opens
5:30 p.m. – celebration program
(including 1.0 hour of continuing legal education credit)
6:30 p.m. – reception with food and drink
Cleveland Metropolitan Conference Center
1375 East 9th Street, 2nd Floor - Cleveland
free parking in attached garage (with validation)
Program will highlight the importance of Legal Aid, recognize supporters, and celebrate Legal Aid’s work to promote housing justice.
Click here to view the PDF of the program book.
Panelists include:
Keisha M. González Robert, The Cleveland Foundation ● Elizabeth A. Grove, The Lubrizol Corporation ● Rob Lockett, Rocket Community Fund ● Ken Surratt, United Way of Greater Cleveland
Moderated by:
Stephanie D. Adams, Sherwin-Williams
Program presented in partnership with:
The Cleveland Foundation ● The Lubrizol Corporation ● Rocket Community Fund ● The Sherwin-Williams Foundation ● Sisters of Charity Foundation● United Way of Greater Cleveland
Founders' Day
In late spring, 1905, 16 people signed on to the articles of incorporation, formally establishing The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland to “render legal assistance gratuitously to deserving persons not otherwise able to obtain the services of competent attorneys.” At the close of Legal Aid’s first year, the organization helped 456 people. Today – 119 years later – our full-time staff and roster of volunteers help more than 24,000 people annually protect their homes, health, safety, and livelihoods. Legal Aid supporters continue the legacy began in 1905, and Founders' Day recognizes the diverse community who invest in Legal Aid's continued work to extend justice.
Housing Justice Alliance
We've created the Housing Justice Alliance to ensure fairness for low-income people who face housing instability. Specifically, Legal Aid - serving Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties - has a focus in Northeast Ohio to provide legal representation for tenants facing evictions.
“You have the right to an attorney” — everyone is familiar with the Miranda rights, thanks to television crime shows. Our constitution ensures access to no-cost legal counsel when someone is accused of a serious crime and cannot afford an attorney. Yet many do not realize there is no such constitutional right to legal counsel in housing cases — even if the cases lead to homelessness.
The Housing Justice Alliance grew from an initial grant from the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland's Innovation Mission. And, thanks to the Housing Justice Alliance - as of July 1, 2020 - there is now a right to counsel in certain Cleveland eviction cases. Learn more about this special partnership between Legal Aid and United Way at FreeEvictionHelp.org
But, Legal Aid's Housing Justice Alliance is focused on impact beyond just the new, limited right in Cleveland. With free, high-quality legal representation, Northeast Ohio families living in poverty and facing eviction can secure safe, affordable and stable housing.