Douglas County commissioners direct staff to study tenant right-to-counsel after hours of public comment

The Douglas County Commission opened detailed discussion and public comment on Oct. 1 about creating a tenant right-to-counsel program, and commissioners directed staff to gather program designs, cost estimates and stakeholder input before returning with recommendations. The commission did not adopt a code change or allocate ongoing funding at the meeting.

Why it matters: Eviction cases move quickly under Kansas law, and advocates, service providers and unhoused residents told the commission that access to lawyers at the time an eviction filing is made can prevent homelessness, preserve access to health care and reduce long-term public costs.

County staff briefed the commission that earlier work sessions raised many open questions and that a number of options exist — from adding a county code provision to creating an administratively funded program — but that program design, scope and sustainable funding need more detail. County staff noted $40,000 in the 2026 budget had been set aside for related eviction work but that no new program had been funded.

Public comments and evidence: More than three dozen people spoke during the item and the separate public-comment period. Speakers included tenants, attorneys, supportive-housing case managers, and nonprofit representatives who described personal experience with evictions and cited local and national evidence that representation improves outcomes. Tenant advocates repeatedly proposed two central elements for any program: full legal representation for tenants in eviction…