Cleveland Moves Toward Expanding Legal Aid for Eviction Proceedings

Cleveland City Council is considering a new measure to expand legal assistance for residents facing eviction. Emergency Ordinance 1031-2026 would authorize the Director of Community Development to enter into agreements with The Legal Aid Society to implement a program providing legal services for covered individuals in housing court proceedings.

What's in the file

The proposed emergency ordinance authorizes the Department of Community Development to partner with The Legal Aid Society, acting as the lead partner organization. This partnership is intended to provide legal services to individuals in eviction proceedings as defined by Section 375.12 of the Codified Ordinances of Cleveland, 1976, which establishes legal representation in Housing Court.

Who may be affected

Status and timeline

  1. September 10, 2026: The ordinance was introduced and received its first reading.

Residents can verify these details and track the progress of the legislation by reviewing the official record for File No. 1031-2026 through the Cleveland City Council Legistar portal.

Source record

File
1031-2026
Type
Emergency Ordinance
Status
First Reading
Committee
City Council
Introduced
September 9, 2026

View on Cleveland Legistar

Official documents

Sources