Explanation
BACKGROUND:
This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department Development to enter into a non-profit service contract with The Broad Street Presbyterian Church of Columbus Ohio in an amount up to $55,500.00 to create a fund and provide fiscal manager services, as a partner in the City of Columbus, for eligible low-income tenants facing eviction with the funding required for eviction case appeals. Funding will be advanced on a predetermined schedule.
Low Income tenants in eviction court often encounter many barriers to addressing legal issues in eviction cases. While the City provides funding for legal representation, oftentimes that representation must be cut short if the tenant is unable to pay for a court-mandated bond when attempting to appeal a decision.
The City of Columbus currently provides funding for the Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP) through the Legal Aid Society of Southeast and Central Ohio to assist low-income tenants at eviction court. TAP assists in a number of appeals for these clients but cannot assist with securing funding required to proceed in certain types of eviction case appeals where tenants are required to post a bond.
A bond is an amount of money the court may ask one party to deposit with the court while the final outcome of the case is delayed by an appeal to ensure that the other party is not harmed by the delay. This means that many tenants receiving legal services from TAP are unable to pursue their case at the appellate level because they lack the funds to pay for the bond.
This legislation would create a fund, in the amount of $50,000.00, for eligible low-income tenants facing eviction to pay for bonds when appealing their case. This will allow low income tenants the ability to have their cases heard and decided on the merits. The remaining $5,500.00 of the total agreement will reimburse The Broad Street Presbyterian Church of Columbus Ohio’s administrative costs.
Broad Street Presbyterian Church’s COMP...
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