Cleveland Legal Aid Right to Counsel

Cleveland`s right to counsel, which went into effect in October 2019, went into effect on July 1, 2020. Coverage of the launch was done in Ideastream and News 5 Cleveland. The lack of legal assistance for tenants in eviction cases is a violation of a fundamental human right. This housing emergency is destabilizing families and neighborhoods, especially the most vulnerable among us, leading to homelessness, falling property values, and damage to the social tranquility and overall well-being of the city. These conditions pose a serious threat to the public health, safety and well-being of city residents, as well as to the economic stability, viability and growth of the city. In Cuyahoga County, the United Way and Legal Aid are working together to provide legal assistance to tenants at risk of eviction so they can stay in their homes or find better housing. Cleveland Legal Aid has largely achieved its clients` goals, including but not limited to: preventing eviction orders, obtaining time for resettlement, and mitigating damage. Cleveland Legal Aid also helped clients get rent assistance, which the landlord`s attorney identified as a force of Cleveland`s right to eviction from counsel. “You have the right to a lawyer” – everyone knows Miranda rights, thanks to the tv police shows.

Our Constitution guarantees access to free legal assistance if a person is charged with a serious crime and cannot afford to pay for a lawyer. But many are unaware that there is no constitutional right to legal assistance in cases of expulsion. Launched on July 1, 2021, Free Eviction Help expanded the scope and services for Cuyahoga County residents who need legal assistance while at risk of eviction. Right to Counsel Cleveland was launched on July 1, 2020 and offers a right to free legal representation under the settlement. This right is granted to eligible households through a partnership between United Way and Legal Aid. An editorial in Cleveland dot com/The Plain Dealer calls on Cuyahoga County to go beyond its $2 million investment in expanded tenant representation and enact a right to a lawyer similar to Cleveland`s. Noting the potential savings for the city and county, as well as the dramatic success of the city`s program, the editorial comments, “The Lawyer`s Right Act is a law of fundamental justice — there are very poor families in Cleveland who have access to secure legal representation when something as important as the loss of shelter is at stake.” In October 2019, the Cleveland City Council passed the Right to Counsel Act, which establishes a right to counsel for tenants at risk of eviction, who are 100 percent or less of the federal poverty line and have children. Coverage is in News 5 Cleveland, cleveland.com, Crain`s Cleveland Business and WZAK. There are also press releases from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (the service provider) and the United Way (the executor).

Elsewhere, FreshWater has reviewed the planned implementation of the right to counsel for tenants with children. The Right to Counsel – Cleveland Program (RTC-C) gives Clevelanders threatened with eviction and living with at least one child at or below the federal poverty line the right to free legal assistance in housing court. In 2019, the Cleveland City Council passed the Cleveland Attorney`s Right Ordinance, recognizing that “the lack of legal advice for low-income tenants with minor children in eviction cases is a violation of a fundamental human right.” Cleveland Consolidated Order 375.12 made the city the first in the Midwest and the fourth in the United States to grant such a right. The latest report, which analyzes data on Cleveland`s right to a lawyer for 2021, found that the program delivers on its promises while saving the city money. Stout Report Key Figures: The first six months of RTC data have highlighted the importance of long-term government investments in stabilizing Cleveland`s housing and neighborhoods. This report describes the progress RTC has already made in closing the equity gap for tenants facing the displacement of their homes and neighbourhoods. In addition to providing free legal representation in the Cleveland Housing Court through legal assistance, RTC provides families with additional resources, including rent assistance and other legal services.

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