A three-year pilot program that could help renters avoid eviction will be presented today to Akron City Council.
The program, called Right to Counsel, would spend $250,000 annually to provide attorneys to help keep low-income residents housed. Similar programs exist in other cities and have been effective, said Ryan Maxwell, a managing attorney for Community Legal Aid Services who helped with planning.
The proposed city program would target two groups at or below the poverty line of $15,650 for an individual or $32,150 for a family of four:
- Disabled adults 60 years old or older
- Households with children
It’s also intended to work with people who are a week away from eviction. Evictions that are scheduled sooner than that wouldn’t give Community Legal Aid meaningful time to find solutions, said Esther L. Thomas, Akron’s council liaison.
Evictions are a big problem in Akron, said Joe Scalise, the director of housing services for United Way of Summit & Medina counties. He said the narrow limits the city plans to draw for its pilot program represent “the tip of the spear.” With success, and more money, he expects the program to grow and to help more people.
Due to a limited budget, funded with American Rescue Plan dollars, the city wanted to support Akron’s most vulnerable residents, Thomas said.
“Let’s throw the lifeline to these folks first,” Thomas said. “We want people with the most need.”
If approved by council, Thomas said she expects the program to begin to help people Sept. 1.
How many housing evictions are there in Akron?
As housing costs rise in Akron and across the country — in conjunction with the rising prices of other goods — the need to keep people housed has become more urgent, said Annie McFadden, the interim president and CEO of United Way and a partner in the Right to Counsel coalition.
McFadden said starting with a small-scale, targeted program helps partners work out the kinks and show funders the worth of a larger investment.
There were 3,055 eviction cases filed in Akron in 2024, Maxwell said. About 88% of landlords had an attorney, while only 3% of tenants did. He said those numbers have been largely consistent since 2022.
What are the effects of evictions in Akron?
Even the threat of eviction can harm a renter’s mental and physical health, Maxwell said. Children whose families face evictions are more likely to miss school and to move into subpar housing, making them more likely to have lead poisoning or other physical issues. Evictions can also lead people to experience homelessness.
“Housing is more than just four walls and a roof,” Maxwell said. “It’s safety and other things that relate to it. It’s the loss of a neighborhood, relationships, friends. It’s essentially a trauma someone has to endure when faced with a potential eviction.”
Right to Counsel can decrease the need for social safety-net programs such as foster care and Medicaid-funded healthcare, Maxwell said. He said in Cleveland, a study showed a $4.5 million investment over two and a half years resulted in a benefit of more than $11 million.
McFadden said disrupting the eviction pipeline can reduce the need for already overburdened homelessness services as well as improved outcomes for people who are at risk.
Those outcomes aren’t always the chance for renters to stay in the home they’re in, Maxwell said. While the majority of residents represented by an attorney remain in their home, others may negotiate a longer timeline to leave or receive funds back they paid in rent — options that improve stability even as they relocate.
Housing, Maxwell said, is “instrumental” to well-being.
“The ability to have counsel assist you in court to reach a resolution can help a tenant preserve housing or their ability to find housing,” he said. “We help our clients maintain a sense of safety and the ability to help empower themselves.”
How many cases could the program handle?
The proposal City Council will see Monday has been in the works for years, said Thomas, the city’s council liaison.
One of her priorities is to reduce the number of people who have to start over after losing their homes. Thomas, who once experienced a house fire, said she understands the feeling of being displaced and wants to minimize that experience in Akron.
“Not knowing where you’re going to rest your head, that feeling is universal,” she said. “I have a lot of compassion for people who are in that situation.”
Ultimately, Scalise said, the goal would be to have two or three dedicated attorneys working on Right to Counsel, along with support staff. At the beginning, it will be just one attorney, with help. He said he expects the program to begin with 25 to 30 cases a month.
Could Right to Counsel change anything for landlords?
The program will benefit landlords, too, Scalise said, by working with them to find solutions. And he said if more renters have representation, it could pressure landlords to operate differently before they file to evict.
The city will track data to see the effects of the program, Thomas said. She called the city’s effort a compassionate response to help people who are at risk of losing their homes.
“It’s really bringing a meaningful policy that can affect the most vulnerable,” Thomas said. “This may mean the world.”
