Committee approves three-year pilot to expand access to legal counsel for Akron tenants facing eviction

The City of Akron Budget and Finance Committee voted to authorize the mayor or the mayor’s designee to enter into contracts for services to develop and facilitate a three-year pilot program to expand eligible residents’ access to legal counsel in eviction cases.

Esther Thomas, the city’s director of equity and inclusion, introduced the legislation as a collaborative effort with Community Legal Aid and the United Way of Summit and Medina Counties to reduce harms associated with eviction. "We are here today to introduce the legislation regarding right to counsel for people who are facing, eviction," Thomas said.

Ken Merkin, director of client services at Community Legal Aid, presented court data and program goals. "Last year in 2024, there were 3,055 evictions filed in, Akron Municipal Court. 88% of those cases, the plaintiff so the landlord had an attorney. Only 3.21% of cases where the the defendant had a attorney," Merkin said. He said the pilot’s staffing—described as a managing attorney, a full-time staff attorney and a half-time paralegal plus pull-in housing attorneys—could raise defendant representation from about 2% to nearly 10% at full capacity and allow assistance in roughly 300 cases per year.

United Way interim president and CEO Annie McFadden and Joe Scalise, United Way director of housing services, said the pilot would be targeted, leverage existing rental-assistance and mediation resources, and coordinate outreach with the courts and 2-1-1 to reach households after they are served with eviction filings. "We have an eviction problem here in Akron," Scalise told the committee, describing the program as one piece of a broader strategy to triage cases and reduce harm.

Committee members asked about scope, caseload and program mechanics. Council members were told eligible households would be those served within a defined notice window (typically seven days after being served) and that courts generally set hearing dates two to three weeks after filing; Community Legal Aid said it needs about seven days' notice to prepare a defense. Merkin said case work averages about 12 staff hours per case but varies considerably.

Merkin also cited local comparisons: Cleveland and Cuyahoga County have implemented right-to-counsel work at a larger scale; Merkin said Cuyahoga County realized a combined economic benefit between $11,800,000 and $14,000,000 on a total right-to-counsel investment of $4,500,000 over roughly a year-and-a-half period (figures provided by the presenter). Committee members moved to suspend the rules and give the ordinance a favorable report; the motion passed by voice vote.