Posted July 19, 202110:55 am
We provided this update on local events, community updates, and other newsworthy items to to our partners and public officials.
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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.
With the CDC federal eviction moratorium ending on July 31st, Northeast Ohio – like regions across the United States – is facing an impending eviction crisis. 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.
Check out this recent episode of Ideastream Public Media’s Sound of Ideas, which featured Legal Aid attorney Lauren Hamilton discussing the first year of the Right to Counsel – Cleveland program.
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/
Legal Aid Facebook Live series
Disability Rights
Tuesday, July 20th 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 July 20 session will focus on reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. Legal Aid attorney Davida Dodson will speak with Melanie Hogan, Executive Director of of Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential (LEAP) and Sean Sobel, attorney with Sobel, Wade and Mapley to learn from their experience and perspective.
Click on this link to visit the event page to join us.
Motivate Lake County: Ask the Expert
Thursday, July 29th at 11 a.m. on Zoom
Join Anne Sweeney, Managing Attorney for Community Engagement at Legal Aid, for Ask The Expert on Thursday, July 29 at 11 a.m. to ask your questions about what services Legal Aid provides and how to access them. Click here to learn more and join the Zoom event.
Local Updates
Cleveland Mayoral Candidate Forum:
For a Healthier and More Equitable Environment
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
5:30 - 7:00 PM
Every Cleveland resident deserves to live in a safe home in a healthy neighborhood.
We deserve clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and high-quality, nearby green space to enjoy. We deserve access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy resources to power our homes, water utilities to provide for our families, and safe multi-modal transportation options to get us where we need to go.
Join local advocates for a conversation with the candidates running to be the next Mayor of Cleveland to hear their vision for tackling the most pressing environmental and environmental justice issues facing Cleveland residents.
All Cleveland Mayoral Candidates have been invited to participate in this event. Each candidate will be given an opportunity to provide opening remarks. Following this introduction, event hosts will ask a series of questions sourced from advocates and community members on topics related to environmental justice, water, land and green space, infrastructure and transportation, as well as energy and air quality.
The event will be streamed virtually on Zoom and at select watch parties throughout the city. Register today: https://clemayoralforumonenvironment.eventbrite.com
Have a question for the candidates? You can submit your question in writing or by uploading a 1 minute video here: https://forms.gle/VfP2kdtR38Zj7oe67
Disclaimer: This is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) event. Event hosts, as nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, cannot support or oppose candidates or political parties, or ask candidates to pledge to support our position on an issue if elected.
Cleveland Transformation Alliance Family Café
Saturday, July 24 at 10:00 a.m
@ The Midtown Tech Hive (In-person) | 6815 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44103
Click here to register.
Parents, caregivers, and students are welcome to join Cleveland Transformation Alliance for a conversation about public education in Cleveland. We will discuss the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, discuss concerns about a return from remote learning, and provide a safe space for families to share.
Local Effort to Reduce Fatal Opioid Overdoses
MetroHealth and the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County have partnered to install “NaloxBoxes” throughout the county to reduce fatal opioid overdoses. According to MetroHealth, “each NaloxBox contains two doses of Naloxone and directions how to deliver the opioid-reversal drug through a nasal spray. ‘The opioid epidemic has continued to rage through the COVID pandemic, and in many ways has gotten worse,’ said Dr. Joan Papp, director of MetroHealth’s Office of Opioid Safety. “Making Naloxone easily available in the community will save lives. Anyone can turn their life around with treatment but first, they have to survive their overdose.’” Learn more here.
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: CPC 2021 Community Satisfaction Survey (surveymonkey.com)
State and National Updates
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/
Transgender Ohioans can now change their gender on birth certificates
Thanks to a December 2020 court ruling, Ohioans can now change their birth certificates so that their gender is accurately identified. With the change, transgender Ohioans can ensure that all their paperwork and vital documents match. The change also furthers equality and anti-discrimination for trans Ohioans. According to usbirthcertificates.com, “The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that the resulting discrepancy between names and gender markers on official ID documents and the perceived gender identities of their holders caused one-third of survey respondents to suffer harassment, discrimination, assault and/or see benefits and services denied.”
The process to change the gender listed on one’s birth certificate takes place in county probate court and may vary throughout the state. ACLU of Ohio has released this fact sheet to provide clarity about the process.
Equality Ohio, Equitas Health, Living With Change, OCTOPUS LLC, and TransOhio facilitate statewide virtual Name & Gender Marker Change Legal Clinics held the 2nd Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more about this collaborative partnership and legal assistance available.
SNAP advocacy with the Center for Community Solutions and Legal Aid:
Legal Aid attorneys recently helped to create this policy document about strengthening SNAP and EBT contacts to better serve customers. Read the report here.
FREE Fair Housing Overview for Tenants Course from the Fair Housing Resource Center
The Fair Housing Center is developing online fair housing trainings, which will provide a comprehensive overview of fair housing law, including information on reasonable accommodations and modifications for persons with disabilities, emerging issues, and the goals of fair housing. Enroll in a course to get the training you need from the comfort of your own home, at the pace that works for you. Pre-register for the course here by leaving your email and a message indicating your interest.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Anne K. Sweeney
Managing Attorney for Community Engagement
Direct: 216.861.5242
Main: 216.861.5500
Email: anne.sweeney@lasclev.org
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
1223 West 6th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
www.lasclev.org