Right to legal counsel for KC tenants facing eviction begins June 1
Advocates for tenants celebrate the signing December 2021 of the ordinance establishing tenant rights to legal counsel in eviction cases in Kansas City. The ordinance takes effect June 1. Photo from City of Kansas City Communications Office.
Beginning Wednesday (June 1), all Kansas City tenants in eviction cases will have the right to an attorney in Housing Court.
The new ordinance, passed six months ago, continues what has been a rising tide in the support of renters who have long been overmatched in legal proceedings with property owners.
The “Right to Counsel” program extends to all renters in Kansas City the kind of legal support that LINC, Legal Aid of Western Missouri and other partners have been providing for more than two years to school families in the "Justice in the Schools” program.
As the citywide right to counsel ordinance is set to take effect, the city last week announced $700,000 in contracts and partnerships that will be supporting the program.
The Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom will provide one attorney and training for all attorneys involved in Right to Counsel program;
Legal Aid will provide three attorneys; and
UMKC Fellows program will provide three or more attorneys.
The city also announced a call navigator program, recommended by Legal Aid, Heartland Center, UMKC and United Way, that will provide intake information and support to Kansas Citians facing eviction in Jackson, Clay, Platte or Cass counties.
Housing instability is widely recognized as one of the most damaging forces on families and their ability to keep their children in school and thriving. The Justice in the Schools program, which provides many supports to help families avoid or survive housing crises, rose from the ongoing work of the Kansas City Eviction Project — a collaborative effort involving researchers, community organizers, neighborhood leaders, lawyers, and policymakers.
Advocate organizations including KC Tenants and the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom continued to push for protections for tenants in an effort that city leaders praised as the Right to Counsel program prepared to launch.
“This is another important step in our work to protect renters and help folks stay in their homes,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in the city’s prepared statement. “Still, there is more work to be done. I thank all in our community who have worked with the City Council on advancing this important initiative.”
For more information on the Right to Counsel program and other city services that help tenants, go to kcmo.gov/city-hall/housing/tenant-resources.