Expand the legal right to representation in eviction cases beyond Cleveland to all Northeast Ohio municipalities. (Cleveland was the 4th city in the country to enact a Right to Counsel (RTC) in eviction cases. Since the law took effect in July 2020, its success – 93% of tenants who had a Legal Aid attorney through the RTC program avoided eviction). In 2021, Cuyahoga County invested $1 million to expand Legal Aid’s eviction prevention work throughout the County.
We will soon begin to see the dramatic consequences of long-term financial hardship on Northeast Ohio families, as the CDC’s Eviction Moratorium and expanded unemployment benefits expire. More Legal Aid services will be desperately needed.
Transformative Idea:
- Expand “Right to Counsel” in eviction cases beyond Cleveland to all Northeast Ohio municipalities
Rationale:
- Initial Cleveland work has prevented 93% of evictions and kept people housed.
- Housing is the stabilizing factor for all other local project and program success. Read more at this link.
Estimated Cost:
- Depends on size of community.
- Legal services also help ensure federal rent assistance funds are used in the local community.
Source of Funds:
- Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF)
- CDBG-CV
- ESG-CV
- ERAP-1
- ERAP-2
- State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (FRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act.Full details at this link.