More than 80% of Right to Counsel clients indicated that there were defective conditions issues in their home. And, of these clients, approximately 96% indicated that they made the rental property owner aware of the defective conditions. From past evaluations we know approximately 77% of Right to Counsel clients with defective conditions in their homes indicated that there were multiple defective conditions. The three most frequently cited defective conditions were plumbing issues (24%), pest infestation (23%), and wall/ceiling/floor damage (20%)

Over the past 4.5 years of evaluations, Stout learned from Legal Aid attorneys and representatives from Cleveland community organizations that Cleveland’s rental stock, particularly for renters with low incomes, has significantly defective housing conditions. These issues included but were not limited to: inadequate or inoperable toilets, sinks, and showers; inadequate or inoperable heat during winter months; mold and mildew; holes in walls, roofs, and floors; rodent infestations; leaks and flooding during rain; broken or missing doors and windows; exposed electrical wiring; and lead paint. The prevalence of these defective housing issues may influence 43% of Right to Counsel clients who indicated they did not want to stay in their home.

Stout estimates that Cleveland and Cuyahoga County likely realized economic and fiscal benefits of approximately $35.1 million from July 1, 2020 through December 31, 2024.

Stout estimates that Cleveland / Cuyahoga County likely realized the following due to Legal Aid and its Right to Counsel work:

• Decreasing the incremental need for housing social safety net responses such as emergency shelter and rapid re-housing – $11.7 million
• Economic value preserved by retaining Cleveland and Cuyahoga County residents – $6.6 million
• Sustaining education funding for children in Cleveland Metropolitan School District – $5 million
• Decreasing the incremental need for out-of-home foster care placements – $2.6 million
• Decreasing the incremental need for Medicaid-funded health care – $2.3 million
• Fiscal impacts associated with a reduction in crimes related to housing instability – $2.2 million
• Decreasing the need for responding to unsheltered homelessness – $1.6 million
• Economic benefits of employment stability – $1.4 million
• Economic benefits of increased educational attainment – $1.3 million
• Fiscal impacts resulting from reduced incarceration associated with the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness – $470,000

Stout’s preliminary estimate of fiscal impact is likely significantly understated.  Included in the calculation are benefits of Cleveland Right to Counsel that can be quantified based on currently available data.  However, Cleveland / Cuyahoga County would likely realize additional benefits that are not currently quantifiable based on available data.

Given the consistent year-over-year and cumulative frequency with which Cleveland Legal Aid assists Right to Counsel clients in achieving their goals and the continued indication from Right to Counsel clients that they will likely experience disruptive displacement and require a social safety net response if they are forced to move, Stout believes Cleveland and Cuyahoga County continue to realize economic benefits as a result of Right to Counsel.

Additionally, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Cleveland increased by 0.5% from 2023 to 2024 while the number of people experiencing homelessness in Ohio increased by 3% during the same period.  Legal Aid’s work on Right to Counsel may be a factor in the smaller increase in the percentage of people experiencing homelessness in Cleveland relative to the statewide increase given the connection between eviction and homelessness.

Right to Counsel benefits Say Yes families. Say Yes schools in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) provide services and scholarships to eligible students to assist them with achieving their post-secondary education goals. Many students attending Say Yes schools live in households with lower incomes and may need supportive services.

Data highlights nearly 60% of children in in households that asserted their Right to Counsel were attending Say Yes schools.

Rental assistance and legal assistance together promote housing stability. Legal Aid created a new partnership in late 2023 with Rocket Community Fund, and is working with CHN to continue a version of COVID-era rental assistance, to help sustain the good results of Right to Counsel in Cleveland Housing Court.

Legal Aid avoided eviction for tenants in 85% of cases since Right to Counsel began.

“Avoid eviction” in this context means that an eviction judgment was avoided. This does not necessarily mean residents remained in their home. A portion of the Cleveland Right to Counsel clients who were seeking to move, did move out of their home. However, these moves were voluntary, and disruption was minimized because of representation.

When Cleveland’s Right to Counsel clients discuss their goals with a Legal Aid attorney during the interview process, clients are also asked whether they want to stay in their home.

Approximately 54% of clients indicate they did not want to stay in their home. In these instances, clients often have a goal of securing time to move (in addition to other goals) that Legal Aid assists with to minimize the impact to the client of abrupt displacement.

Since Right to Counsel began, 91% of clients who wanted to secure time to move were able to do so with Legal Aid’s help. This put the tenant in control of their life, and they were not at the mercy of an eviction decision.

The number of children per Right to Counsel client household ranged from one to ten, and the average number of children per Right to Counsel client household was two. More than 83% of Right to Counsel client households had between one and three children, and approximately 65% had more than one child.

Given that Right to Counsel requires that the household have at least one child in the home, client goals achieved by the number of children in the household is important for understanding the impact of the legislation.

Legal Aid achieved Right to Counsel clients’ goal of secure time to move for 90%, 91%, and 94% of Right to Counsel clients with one child, two children, and three children in the household, respectively.

Prior to the launch of Right to Counsel, Court data indicated that only 2%-3% of all tenants were represented by an attorney in eviction proceedings in Cleveland.

Based on Stout’s analysis, the percentage of all tenants who are represented in landlord-tenant proceedings in Cleveland has increased to approximately 16% since Right to Counsel was implemented.

And, more people are engaged with the court system and showing up for eviction hearings – meaning there are less default judgements against tenants.