HOUSING

Evictions asymmetrically affect the neighborhoods with the highest poverty rates and have a disproportionate impact on female-headed households and communities of color. Serious emotional and economic repercussions often follow housing loss. Our approach is to help renters maintain their homes through high-quality representation in eviction court, and by assisting them in applying for emergency rental assistance funds that are available.

Our housing attorneys also work to remedy unsafe rental housing conditions, avert Housing Choice Voucher terminations, prevent illegal lockouts, utility shut-offs, or other emergency threats of loss of housing.

The threat of foreclosures is increasing with low-income neighborhoods hit hardest. Ohio continues to see high foreclosure rates, and still has areas with vacant, blighted residential property.

Legal Aid strives to prevent low-income individuals’ loss of homes from foreclosure and predatory lending activities. Our approach is to prevent foreclosures before they are filed, or as soon thereafter as possible by helping low-income homeowners apply for emergency assistance funds and negotiating with lenders to accept the assistance funds and dismiss the foreclosure. We also defend homeowners already in foreclosure by negotiating settlements with lenders so that homeowners retain their homes  affordable mortgage payments.

We also assist nonprofit housing developers to acquire and renovate vacant blighted property to revitalize neighborhoods.

Legal Aid works to preserve and improve affordable rental housing in Southwest Ohio.  There is a large gap in available affordable housing, which is a significant complicating factor for renters seeking new, safe, affordable rental housing.

Legal Aid represents tenant groups in large multi-family buildings to force landlords to properly maintain their properties. We work with lenders and city officials to ensure large properties are safe and livable. When necessary, we advocate with courts to appoint receivers to manage the buildings.

We work with a variety of nonprofit and community-based organizations to improve conditions in the Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods with the highest incidence of poverty. These include Price Hill Will, Avondale Community Development Association, Walnut Hills Redevelopment, and The Homeless Coalition.