Philadelphia City Council Proposes Low-Income Tenant Legal Defense Fund

Rochelle Fedullo, chancellor, Philadelphia Bar Association

PHILADELPHIA, PA—Philadelphia City Council president Darrell L. Clarke and members of Council have proposed a Low-Income Tenant Legal Defense Fund for low-income tenants facing eviction. The fund, proposed in the city’s budget for FY 2020, follows a recent report commissioned by the Philadelphia Bar Association estimating significant cost savings by investing in a right to counsel for low-income tenants facing eviction.

“Today Council President Clarke and other members of Philadelphia City Council took a step forward in helping protect our city’s residents from facing evictions due to a lack of access to legal counsel,” says Bar Association chancellor Rochelle M. Fedullo. ”The groundbreaking Stout Report commissioned by the Philadelphia Bar Association demonstrates that funding counsel for low-income tenants who face the loss of their homes through eviction is an excellent financial investment and will save the city $12 for every $1 spent. Providing access to legal counsel is among the most effective measures to prevent the costs, both financial and human, resulting from evictions and homelessness. We urge the City Council to allocate sufficient funding to guarantee access to legal counsel for all eligible low-income tenants facing eviction.”