In Depth: Cleveland Creates a Right to Counsel for Tenants Facing Eviction

July 21, 2022  

In Depth: Cleveland Creates a Right to Counsel for Tenants Facing Eviction

The In Depth section on HUD User’s Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse (RBC) takes a closer look at innovative state and local strategies, activities, and plans to mitigate the impacts of regulations on the development of affordable housing. Each In Depth article highlights a particular plan, ordinance, or strategy in the RBC database and elaborates on aspects such as the approval process, stakeholder participation, and the progress made in reducing regulatory barriers.

In 2020, Cleveland, Ohio, became the fourth city in the U.S. to enact a right to counsel ordinance for qualifying tenants facing eviction. Through a partnership with United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, tenants facing eviction who have at least one child and are below 100 percent of the federal poverty line are now provided an attorney during the court proceeding. An independent evaluation of the ordinance’s first full year in effect found that most clients were able to avoid or delay eviction. The evaluation also determined that the ordinance saved the city between $4.3 and $4.7 million in costs for emergency shelter, transitional housing, foster care, and Medicaid.

Visit HUD User’s RBC In Depth page to learn more about Cleveland's right to counsel ordinance, as well as other plans and initiatives that state and local governments have enacted to reduce impediments to affordable housing.