Ensure Legal Representation for Disproportionately Impacted Groups

Cleveland’s Right to Counsel responds to an eviction crisis that disproportionately impacts black and female households.

Stout analyzed combinations of interview questions for Right to Counsel clients to develop a deeper understanding of how Right to Counsel client experiences and circumstances may differ based on race, ethnicity, and gender.

Cleveland’s Right to Counsel clients who had their cases closed in calendar year 2022 were disproportionately female and Black compared to Cleveland’s overall demographics.  Furthermore, Cleveland eviction filings overall in 2022 were concentrated in census tracts with non-white majority populations.  For Right to Counsel clients with cases closed in 2022, approximately 83% of female clients indicated there were defective conditions in their homes compared to 76% of male clients.