United Way of Greater Cleveland: Right to Counsel - Cleveland Evaluation

Every year 9,000 – 10,000 evictions are filed in the Cleveland Housing Court. Only 1 – 2% of tenants facing eviction are represented by an attorney. With recently passed right to counsel legislation, as of July 1, 2020, legal representation in eviction cases will be a right for Cleveland renters with at least one minor child in the household living at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. To implement the right to counsel legislation, United Way of Greater Cleveland (United Way) and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (Legal Aid) will be providing legal representation to covered individuals through the Right to Counsel – Cleveland (RTC-C) program.

United Way will oversee the administration of contracts with Designated Organization(s), primarily Legal Aid, and be responsible for all operations, outcome measurement, providing backbone support, and engaging the RTC-C’s Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee, led by United Way, will support the implementation of right to counsel in Cleveland. This body will consist of representatives from the public and private sectors including philanthropy, local government, nonprofits, etc.

Keep reading and to find proposal guidelines.