Evictions filings are on the rise – again. Data shows there have been 1,224 eviction filings across the Cincinnati area in the past month, according to national eviction tracker Eviction Lab. Mt. Airy and Westwood lead the list.
WCPO reports filings are at 107% of pre-Covid numbers. And experts know why. “Sadly, I think we haven’t seen the worst, and a lot of the reason why is rental assistance has largely dried up.”
The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Help Center, which opened in 2017, is on track to assist more than 20,000 people by the end of the year, according to Hamilton County Clerk Pavan Parikh.
“Evictions hurt the tenants. It hurts the landlords. It hurts everybody.”
It’s not just Cincinnati. Evictions are on the rise across Ohio. Unlike other states, Ohio does not have a state law allowing tenants to expunge these records. And Ohio eviction laws are stricter than most states.
According to an Ohio-based Legal Aid: “Even if you’re like a minute, an hour, a day late, even with a late fee, the landlord can often refuse the rent.”
Why it matters: Evictions remain on your credit history and can lead to a lifetime of housing instability. Win or lose — eviction filings have lasting and harmful consequences for families. Impacting employment, education and creating mental and physical health issues.
Here’s how we and our partners are trying to help.
With support from the City of Cincinnati, we and our partners, are using data to find the most vulnerable, alert them before an eviction notice and offer financial assistance.
To identify those families, the University of Cincinnati and others to enter anonymized data into an algorithm and utilizing a self-reporting website called TenantGuard.org.
The work is inspired by the OneView program in Maidstone England. The head of housing there said, “I was skeptical in the beginning that you can use data analytics to prevent homelessness.” “But I think we’ve been able to prove that yes — you can.”
In their most recent assessment, the city said it was able to prevent 98% of the people it helped from becoming homeless.
Our thanks to CET and the Brick by Brick Podcast. For highlighting this important work being done locally to prevent evictions. Give it a listen!
