Right to Counsel 71694

Through Ordinance #71591 (Board Bill #59, the City of St. Louis established a Right to Counsel program for tenants facing eviction or equivalent proceedings. Funding identified in the board bill and other SHS appropriated arpa funds are being used to cover legal assistance services. Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) was selected via an RFP process to implement an initial pilot of the Right to Counsel. The project is called Housing Eviction Law Program-St. Louis City (HELP-STL City) and the initial contract expires in 9/2026. Reimbursement to LSEM is based upon an approved budget & based upon a percentage of LSEM staff salaries who work directly on the project, not a flat fee per hour for legal services rendered. Services under HELP- STL City may be provided to tenants that meet conditions of eligibility as set forth below, however tenants who meet one or more of the following criteria are prioritized for services: 1. Households located in zip codes with the highest number of eviction filings. As of March 2024 when the RFP was issued by the City of St. Louis, the top ten eviction filings zip codes were 63103, 63111, 63118, 63108, 63112, 63101, 63104, 63115, and 63106. 2. Households with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines issued by the U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services 3. Households with court filed eviction matters 4. Households facing illegal lockout or unlawful utility shutoff. Under the pilot a continuum of legal assistance options to tenants facing eviction are provided and LSEM determines the type and level of services based on tenants unique needs and case fact pattern. Services may include: - Brief legal advice and counsel - Limited scope and/or full legal representation (both in court and out of court). - Support to pro se litigants including through MoTenant Help.org - Services to Tenants at both the pre-litigation and litigation stages - Post litigation assistance that seeks to stop the execution of an eviction or prevent tenants from having negative legal actions on the records - Negotiating with landlords or housing authorities to achieve outcome such as the termination of housing subsidies, set up payment plans, reduce amounts owed, obtain additional time to allow tenants to secure other housing, settle pending litigation and or settle cases post judgement - Assistance with document drafting and form completions - Representing tenants in administrative proceeding with SLHA - Representing tenants in court including trials and first appeals where needed - Filing affirmative claims or litigation against landlords as deemed appropriate - Filing trials de novo - Educating tenants to help them understand legalese, their rights, and the options they have - Etc.