Approximately 82% 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. 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%)

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.

The total preliminary fiscal impact of Cleveland’s Right to Counsel in Cleveland / Cuyahoga County for 2021 was approximately $4.3 million to $4.7 million.

Stout estimates that Cleveland / Cuyahoga County likely avoided social safety net costs of at least $1.8 million to $1.9 million (housing social safety net responses, Medicaid spending on in-patient and emergency room health care, and out-of-home foster care) and retained approximately $2.5 million to $2.8 million in federal funding and economic value (federal and state funding for Cleveland Metropolitan School District and economic value of avoiding out-migration / population loss) through Cleveland’s Right to Counsel.

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. These benefits that are not currently quantifiable include but are not limited to:

· The education costs, juvenile justice costs, and child welfare costs associated with children experiencing homelessness.
· The effects of stabilized employment and income and the economic and tax benefits to the state associated with consumer spending.
· The negative impact of eviction on tenants’ credit score, ability to re-rent, and the potential loss of a subsidized housing voucher.
· The cost of providing public benefits when jobs are lost due to eviction or the eviction process.
· The cost of mental health care.
· Certain additional costs associated with homelessness, such as additional law enforcement and incarceration costs.
· The cost of family, community, and neighborhood instability.
· Preservation of financial and personal assets.
· A reduction, over time, of the number of eviction cases filed resulting in improved use of Cleveland Municipal Court resources.

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.

In 2022, approximately 57% 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 was able to secure rent assistance for 79% of Right to Counsel clients who had this goal.

Legal Aid avoided eviction for tenants in 90% of cases since Right to Counsel began. In 2023, 81% of people helped through Right to Counsel prevented an eviction or an involuntary move.

“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 43% 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 1%-2% 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.