Facing eviction? In a city of renters, Cincinnati's government is trying to help with a 'staggering' problem
Sharon Coolidge
When Anedrea McKinstry came home last month and found a three-day eviction notice on the door of her Avondale apartment she broke down crying.
The mother of 2-year-old Michai Anderson knew she had missed her $600 September rent payment and couldn't pay the October rent. She'd lost her job when the elderly man she worked for as an in-home caretaker died. While she looked for work and filed for unemployment, she hoped her landlord would give her more time.
A friend loaned her $250, but partial payment wasn't enough.
When another friend asked what her plan was, McKinstry, 31, told her, "I don't know. I don't know."
"I was scared," she said.
McKinstry was summoned to court last Thursday for a hearing on the eviction notice.
She sat quietly in the courtroom, Michai on her lap, as dozens of eviction cases were called, one after another. In some cases it took just 30 seconds for the magistrate to issue an order for the tenant to leave the premises.
Few tenants showed up. In most cases, an eviction was ordered.
McKinstry was evicted, but her landlord was kind. He promised to work with her over the next seven days.
Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman is set to introduce several new bills targeted at keeping people in their homes through eviction prevention efforts. The legislation requires a council vote.
"If you can keep a good-paying job and secure quality affordable housing, your chance of getting out of poverty and making it into the middle class is very high," Landsman said, "But if you lose your job or your car breaks down, all of a sudden you're in a real financial crisis and the first thing that is likely to happen is that you're evicted."
This legislation is aimed at helping people on the cusp of being evicted and bringing substandard properties up to code.
A city of renters
Cincinnati has almost 85,000 rental properties, about 62% of all housing units in the city, according to U.S. Census estimates. It's among the highest in the Midwest.
From 2014 to 2017, an average of 12,439 residential evictions a year were filed in Hamilton County, according to University of Cincinnati sociology professor Elaina Johns-Wolfe, author of the eviction study "You are being asked to leave the premises."
A sample review of 2017 evictions shows less than 1% of eviction filings were decided in favor of the tenant, the study found.
Mayor John Cranley is set to give a State of the City address tonight, which will focus on anti-poverty initiatives, including Landsman's proposed legislation.
The laws will:
- Create a rental registry. Landlords would be required to register rental properties, a list that includes addresses and emergency contacts, which would be kept online. The goal: Being able to better reach landlords and people managing the properties. Cost: Landlords pay $1 per registry.
- Create a tenant information page. This would provide tenants with information about their rights related to eviction and link to resources if they need help. The goal: Put all information in one place. Cost: None.
- Cap late fees. Late fees would be capped at $50 or 5% of monthly rent. Landlords will not be permitted to charge interest, which happens now. The goal: Not acerbating people's financial problems. Cost: Less money for landlords.
- Create a rental inspection program, a pilot area in Clifton Heights, University Heights and Fairview, East Price Hill and Avondale. Landlords in these areas who have outstanding code violations for more than a year would be subject to inspections. After the first inspection, landlords not in compliance would be subject to monthly inspections every 30 days. The goal: Quality housing. Cost: Landlords pay the fee, $100 to start. It's still unclear if the inspection cost will cover the entire program.
Charles Tassell, who for the last 20 years has served as director of governmental affairs for the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association, praised the legislation and Landsman for working with landlords.
Inspection program targets the worst landlords
He said that at various times council has looked at inspection programs, but this targeted approach is the kind of program the association supports.
"We like the idea of focusing on problem properties," Tassell said. "It's not just who has a violation, but it is who is not responding. You don’t need to go after properties like the 580 building downtown, the nice buildings."
What's still a concern, Tassell said, is providing contact numbers for the registry. There is already a county-wide registry, but many contact numbers end up being generic office numbers. Landsman's hope is that the city and tenants can get real contact information when they need it, but landlords worry about unjustified angry calls, and such information would likely be public record.
Back in the Hamilton County courtroom, those facing eviction were unsure what to do next. When a judge approves an eviction, a person has seven days to find a way to pay what they owe or move – which is one reason Landsman's legislation includes a place to get information about help. Right now, various agencies offer help, but people are left to search on their own.
Court staff directed people down the hall to the Hamilton County Help Center.
"The numbers are staggering," said Hamilton County Clerk of Court Aftab Pureval. "And behind these numbers are the people impacted by eviction,"
He said that's why he created the Help Center in 2017, which costs $110,000 a year to run.
"When people stay in their homes, their children do better at school and they have a better chance for success," Pureval said. "It impacts our entire community."
Money to help pay rent available, but there's not enough
St. Vincent de Paul District Council of Cincinnati is one of several local agencies that has long offered rent and utility assistance but has never been enough to meet all the need.
In January, council provided a one-time allotment of $227,000 for eviction prevention. Cranley, in the 2020 budget, which began July 1, made the program permanent, with a pledge to put $250,000 a year into eviction prevention.
The program got underway in July and for July, August and September, statistics show 540 people applied, with 97 households – 18 percent of the applications received – getting $62,000 total in help. The average amount of assistance was $639 per household.
Mike Dunn, executive director of the Cincinnati St. Vincent de Paul, said the problem isn't new, but it is getting worse. And while there's help, he said, it's never enough to help everyone.
"There is not enough affordable housing in Cincinnati," Dunn said. "This (legislation) is a great first step to helping people," Dunn said.
Landsman connected McKinstry to St. Vincent de Paul, which is helping her cover the two month rent she owes.
Unemployment kicks in this week and McKinstry said she's looking for a job.
FOR HELP
St. Vincent De Paul
513-562-8842
https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/Get_Help/
(Manages the City’s eviction prevention fund)
Community Action Agency
513-569-1840
Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses
513-407-5362
(Specific to West End residents)
Legal Aid
513-241-9400
United Way’s 211
Dial 2-1-1
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