All about Toledo's right to counsel for tenants facing eviction

UPDATE: additional data shows continued success of right to counsel

The Toledo Blade reports that one year into Toledo's eviction right to counsel, "Of the 139 cases closed so far, nearly 88 percent, or 122, of those cases were successful in avoiding eviction. As a result, 177 adults and 190 children were able to stay in their homes."  Also, check out the City of Toledo's February 2023 press release about the first year.

UPDATE: early data shows success of right to counsel program

An article in The Toledo Blade reports on some of the early data from Toledo's program to provide a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction.  Prior to the implementation of a right to counsel, a study by the Blade had found that 79% of landlords in Toledo have counsel, compared to 2% of tenants.  While the data set from the right to counsel is small at this stage, 38% of represented were able to remain in their homes, 44% were able to negotiate a reasonable move-out date and more than half of the cases have been dismissed.

Background

The Toledo City Council has enacted a tenant right to counsel ordinance that guarantees counsel for all tenants facing eviction who are at 200% or below of the federal poverty level.  The law is to be phased in over 5 years and staffed by Legal Aid of Western Ohio, and will be funded by $250k/year in American Rescue Plan Act funding.  The news was reported in the Toledo Blade.