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Tulsa Votes to Develop Eviction Legal Aid Program. Advocates Say Oklahoma Should Be Watching.
Only 4% of tenants in the United States are represented by an attorney in eviction proceedings. Eighty-four percent of landlords are. On September 16, Tulsa’s City Council voted unanimously to start closing that gap.
As Jake Ramsey reported, the council passed a resolution to develop a right-to-counsel program providing legal representation to low-income tenants and landlords navigating eviction court without attorneys. The program would be funded through a public-private partnership, with public funds directed toward cases involving hardship such as a medical event, disaster or substandard housing — not solely an inability to pay. Private funding could broaden the program’s scope.
Twenty-one cities, two counties and five states have implemented right-to-counsel programs in some form. All have lowered eviction rates, according to the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel. Proponents say the data is consistent because representation changes the dynamic of proceedings where one side routinely shows up prepared and the other does not.
Eric Hallett, one of the few attorneys regularly representing tenants in Tulsa eviction court and the only such attorney at a nonprofit, said part of his job is simply to make the process less easy for landlords who use cheap, fast filings as a rent collection tool. Oklahoma eviction filings can cost as little as $58 and move faster than almost any state in the country.
The resolution passed with some modification after corporate and small landlords called Councilor Carol Bush with concerns. Councilor Laura Bellis, who proposed the measure, said the program’s design process would include landlords at the table.
Advocates say Tulsa’s action could be a model for other Oklahoma cities and eventually the state. From January through June, 22,176 evictions were filed across Oklahoma.
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Legislator to Seek Kratom Ban
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Previous Reporting: [Oklahoma Watch]
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Oklahoma’s network of career and technology education centers was built largely on the vision of Francis Tuttle of Wellston.
Ciao for now,
Ted Streuli
Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch
tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org
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