Philadelphia City Council Proposes Low-Income Tenant Legal Defense Fund

The new fund follows a bar association report estimating significant cost savings by providing access to counsel to low-income tenants facing eviction.

News Story (Pennsylvania)

Steve Lubetkin
GlobeSt.com
March 7, 2019
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Tags: Housing: Eviction, Housing: Right to Counsel

Organizations mentioned/involved: Philadelphia Bar Association


DETAILS

According to the study commissioned by the bar association, Economic Return on Investment of Providing Counsel in Philadelphia Eviction Cases for Low-Income Tenants, by providing free representation to low-income tenants facing eviction, the city can help keep people in their homes while saving $12 for every $1 spent.

The study was performed pro bono by Stout Risius Ross, a valuation advisory, investment banking, dispute consulting and management consulting firm.

Stout determined that unrepresented tenants are disruptively displaced due to eviction in approximately 78% of cases, compared with represented tenants, who are disruptively displaced due to eviction in only about five percent of cases. By being represented, many low-income individuals each year would avoid being disruptively displaced.