Pa. launches right-to-counsel program with hopes of reducing evictions

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For the first time ever, Pennsylvania will offer free legal representation to low-income renters facing an eviction or another housing-related issue.

The new budget includes $2.5 million for a statewide right-to-counsel program. The funding will be divided among a network of legal aid programs and organizations, including Community Legal Services and Regional Housing Legal Services in Philadelphia.

The goal is simple: to keep more tenants in their homes.

“Being evicted makes you more likely to face an eviction in the future, leading to cycles of displacement and homelessness,” said state Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia) during a City Hall news conference Wednesday.

While the majority of landlords have legal representation when they head to court, these tenants usually do not, a disparity housing advocates say tips the scales of justice away from those with the most to lose.

In Philadelphia, those facing evictions are disproportionately Black women.

“Having a lawyer to represent you in court can make all the difference and help you avoid getting steamrolled in what in many cases is an unfair and unjust eviction,” said Adam Goldman, executive director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project.

The new program is available to households earning up to 125% of the federal poverty line. That translates to $32,275 for a family of three and $39,000 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

More than a million Pennsylvanians live below the poverty line, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. More than 300,000 of them are in Philadelphia.

“We know this is a seed we need to grow,” said City Councilmember Kendra Brooks of the initiative.

Pennsylvania is now one of six states in the country that have right-to-counsel programs. Another 17 cities have a program, including Philadelphia.

Passed in November 2019, the program now operates in five ZIP codes around the city. It is available to renters in 19139 in West Philadelphia; 19132 and 19121 in North Philadelphia; 19134 in Kensington; and 19144 in Germantown.

The initiative is now part of a broader effort in the city to reduce evictions amid an affordable housing crisis. That includes the Eviction Diversion Program, a nationally recognized program that seeks to settle landlord-tenant disputes outside of court.

At the end of May, the pandemic-inspired program became permanent.