United Way and Legal Aid highlight Access to Counsel and CareSuite as tools to keep Cincinnatians housed

Matt Long, director of impact programs at United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and Nick DiNardo of the Legal Aid Society described the city‑funded Access to Counsel initiative and how it uses United Way’s 2‑1‑1 and a CareSuite platform to speed referrals and coordinate services.

Long told the committee that in 2025 about 19,000 calls to 2‑1‑1 were for housing security and that roughly 11,000 of those related specifically to rent. He said an initial $1.2 million investment helped roughly 700 families remain housed and that an additional $200,000 could help more than 100 additional families.

The presenters credited CareSuite with reducing referral timeframes from days to minutes and said expanded mediation and limited‑representation options at the clerk of court’s help center have increased capacity. DiNardo of the Legal Aid Society explained that mediation is often useful for one‑time emergencies but depends on landlord willingness and is not mandated in Hamilton County.

DiNardo said legal representation remains constrained: the Legal Aid presenter noted about 1,200 eviction filings per month in Hamilton County and said most occur in Cincinnati. Council members and the vice chair asked about how the program handles households that agree to move out and where those families find alternative housing; presenters said the larger housing‑stock shortage and wages below market rates are the core systemic barriers.

United Way described the Renew collaborative, a pilot to subsidize landlord costs and lower turnover expenses, as one of several models that complement Access to Counsel and mediation to keep people stably housed.

Council members and presenters described the program as successful but underscaled; no new appropriation was approved during the meeting.