All about CityHealth’s ranking of 75 cities on tenant right to counsel policies

News!  CityHealth has just released its 2025 Assessment Report that measures how 75 cities fared on the policies, along with the Report Methodology!

In 2022, the NCCRC worked with CityHealth to make Legal Support for Renters (LSR), which is their term for a right to counsel, one of the key elements in their Policy Package.  CityHealth’s mission is to “advance a package of evidence-based policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities”, and they grade the 75 largest cities in the United States on each component of the policy package (check out their FAQ on the grading process).  As part of their push for Legal Support for Renters, CityHealth has released:

• A webpage for LSR resources, which includes their grades on LSR for the CityHealth cities;
• A brief and FAQ explaining the policy and the grading criteria, along with a brief explainer video;
• A video deep dive into New Orleans’ RTC policy, featuring interviews with Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Councilmember Helena Moreno;
• Blog posts:
  • A post authored by CityHealth explaining the reasoning for the policy;
  • A post co-authored by NCCRC Coordinator John Pollock and PhD epidemiologist Kathryn L.eifheit explaining how a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction advances health objectives;
  • A post by NCCRC’s Tenant RTC Implementation Advisor Andrew Ahbrook called Building the Bar: Solving the Attorney Shortage Threatening Tenant Right to Counsel. It explores the national shortage of tenant attorneys (and attorney shortage across civil legal aid and public defense systems more broadly). The post looks at ways in which cities can support the efforts by legal services providers and law schools to address the issue, including through tenant defense clinics, increased attorney pay, and stabilized caseloads.
• Reports:
  • A 2025 Assessment Report that measures how 75 cities fared on the policies, along with the Report Methodology;
  • A report co-authored by CityHealth, the NCCRC, and Enterprise Community Partners on “Addressing America’s Housing Crisis.” The report explores three of the housing polices contained in CityHealth’s 2.0 Policy Package: Affordable Housing Trusts, Healthy Rental Housing, and Legal Support for Renters. You can also read about the report in this press release.
• Webinars:
  • A webinar about the Addressing America’s Housing Crisis report: check out the recording and slide deck!
  • A webinar called From Pilot to Game Changer, which explored how jurisdictions can build RTC pilots and then transition to enacted RTC legislation by building political will while addressing funding and staffing challenges.  The webinar featured speakers from San Francisco and St. Louis, along with the NCCRC.