Cincinnati eviction filings more than 100% higher than pre-COVID average
Nick Zingarelli, a UC Law staff member, tells WCPO more renters are needing legal advice
Eviction filings are up in Hamilton County.
WCPO reports that 13,661 filings have been entered in municipal court this past year.
Nick Zingarelli, a UC Law staff member who is director and chief attorney of the Hamilton County Help Center, told WCPO that as rents go up and housing availability goes down, tenants are struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
"Eviction is the biggest issue that we are facing here where we are really starting to see a shift, where we're really starting to see an impact because more people are paying attention to what's happening," Zingarelli told WCPO.
WCPO cites Eviction Lab in reporting the number of eviction filings in the Cincinnati area is 107% higher than an average year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Eviction Lab shows there have been 1,224 eviction filings across the Cincinnati area in the past month.
Nick Zingarelli/photo provided.
The Hamilton County Help Center is a partnership between the UC College of Law, the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, Municipal Court, Juvenile Court and the County Commission. The center provides people with education, information and limited legal advice to access municipal and juvenile courts in Hamilton County.
Landlord-tenant issues, evictions, debt collection cases, small claims and custody issues are among the topics the Hamilton County Help Center assists the public in navigating. The Help Center is staffed with three full-time attorneys and two paralegals, and is supported by volunteer law students and volunteer attorneys in the community.
Roughly 60% of people seeking legal advice at the Hamilton County Help Center are litigants in eviction and rent escrow cases, WCPO reports.
Listen to the WCPO story about eviction filings in Hamilton County online.
Featured top image courtesy of Istock.
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