TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo law firm that provides legal advocacy for low-income individuals and groups is receiving a $1,000,000 grant as part of a new Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program.
Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE) will receive the grant to help provide legal assistance to tenants at risk of eviction.
The program is the first of its kind for the department, according to the HUD.
Only 10 grants, totaling $20 million, were awarded throughout the country.
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) says ABLE will partner with Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO) to expand an eviction prevention program into rural areas of seven surrounding counties.
ABLE and LAWO provide legal assistance to people living in poverty in civil, non-criminal, legal matters, according to its website.
ABLE and LAWO had an operating budget of over $12 million in 2018 according to the latest annual report published on their website.
HUD says one of the best ways to prevent evictions is through providing legal assistance to at-risk tenants and sites studies showing tenants with representation are much more likely to stay in their homes and less likely to end up in homeless shelters.
WTOL reached out to Advocates for Basic Legal Equality after the grants were announced by HUD, and just before the Thanksgiving holiday, but have not heard back.
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