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Legal group gets ahead of eviction scare

Worries spawn $100 million request, programs to help families in need

To prepare for an expected onslaught of evictions brought on by COVID-19 insecurities, Community Legal Aid is launching a new project to curb evictions and an advocacy group is calling on the state to provide $100 million for emergency rent assistance.

“We are standing on the precipice of an eviction catastrophe,” states a news release from the Greater Ohio Policy Center’s Ohio Affordable Housing Learning Exchange, advocates for affordable housing. “Census surveys show 503,500 Ohio renters could not make last month’s rent payment, and studies estimate as many as 713,255 renters could be in danger of eviction this year. That’s enough of our fellow Ohioans to fill Ohio Stadium seven times. There are actions the state can take today to prevent this.”

The group released the statement lauding Gov. Mike DeWine’s $15 million investment in homelessness prevention, but added: “There is no need to wait for a family to enter a homeless shelter before providing aid. At least 28 states have established statewide temporary rent assistance programs for renters affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask the DeWine Administration to protect Ohio’s renters who have been adversely affected by this pandemic by allocating $100 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund for emergency rent assistance.”

Without help from an attorney, someone is more likely to be evicted, said Steve McGarrity, executive director of Community Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm. The firm is launching a project to focus on avoiding evictions by implementing a tenant hotline, a weekly virtual clinic and a free online toolkit.

“We know the demand for attorneys is going to be greater than what we can do, so we’re looking at nontraditional ways of helping renters who may find themselves in the crosshairs,” said John Petit, Legal Aid’s managing attorney for housing programs. “That’s why we’re launching TAP.”

TAP, or the Tenant Assistance Project, allows renters who are facing or fearful of an eviction to get legal help. The program offers free help for renters at any stage in the eviction process, including:

● A hotline number tenants can call to speak with an attorney and get advice on their situation;

● A virtual clinic 4 p.m. Tuesdays. Attendees can call in or join from their computer to get general information on the eviction process and speak with an attorney;

● An online toolkit that walks renters through whatever stage of the eviction process they are in, helps them prepare for court and provides template documents they’ll need.

For the Tenant Assistance Hotline, call 330-983-2528, or visit www.commu nitylegalaid.org/eviction for more information or to find out about upcoming virtual eviction clinics. To apply for legal help, call 800-998-9454 or apply online at www.com munitylegalaid.org/apply.

Community Legal Aid can also connects people to organizations in the area offering emergency rental assistance, creating a “win-win scenario,” McGarrity said.

For help, people can call 211, the law firm or view a list of local assistance providers in the online eviction toolkit at www.commu nitylegalaid.org/eviction.

rfox@tribtoday.com

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