My first full trial at the beginning of my career was an eviction case involving a family of four living on the west side of Columbus. The tenants had fallen behind on rent, but they also reported serious problems with the home.
During a visit, I found standing sewage, dangerous electrical hazards, and other conditions that posed significant health and safety risks.
Despite those unsafe conditions, the court ultimately ordered the family's eviction because of their missed rent payments.
Twenty-two years later, I remember very little about the legal arguments I made during the trial. What I do remember is seeing young children living in conditions no one should be asked to endure and then handing their parents a list of local homeless shelters as they tried to figure out where their family was going to sleep. That moment has stayed with me throughout my career.
Over the past two decades, the challenge of unsafe housing has only grown as much of the housing stock in our service area ages, and the region’s population grows. From pest infestations and plumbing failures to structural defects and a lack of heat during Ohio winters, too many families are forced to choose between living in dangerous conditions and risking the loss of their housing.
Fortunately, awareness of these issues—and of the legal tools available to address them—has grown as well. Through our monthly rent escrow clinic in Franklin County, rural housing hotline, and medical-legal partnerships, LASCO helps tenants enforce their right to safe housing and address dangerous living conditions before they become even more serious.
Although I did not win that first trial, LASCO has successfully advocated on behalf of thousands of Ohio families during the past two decades. Safe housing is more than a legal issue; it is a matter of health, stability, and dignity. By helping families address unsafe living conditions, we work to ensure that children and parents throughout our communities have safe, healthy, and secure places to call home.
