Learn to Earn Dayton is thrilled to announce that we have received support from AES Ohio Foundation to continue the work of the Access to Counsel pilot program.
Access to Counsel provides legal representation and wrap-around services for up to 125 families in Northwest Dayton over the period of one year - having launched in November 2024. The program has been designed leveraging the national expertise of Stout, and is being implemented by local legal aid organization, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE). Support for the program has also been provided by Blue Meridian Partners and the Dayton Legal Heritage Foundation of The Dayton Foundation, the Wright-Patt Credit Union Sunshine Fund.

Access to Counsel will meet the varied needs of tenants, providing both legal representation and social work, education, and empowerment. While the underlying goal is eviction prevention, the outcome could look different depending on the tenant’s needs. A key aspect of this pilot is the data tracking and comprehensive evaluation, as the team works to determine how to scale to program to a larger geography and track if eviction prevention now may lead to greater economic mobility.
“Housing is a clear imperative and one that was lifted up by Northwest Dayton residents in the Power of Place Plan,” said Learn to Earn Dayton CEO Stacy Schweikhart. “It is the greatest predictor of students' chronic absenteeism from school. Learn to Earn Dayton is excited to work in partnership with ABLE and our community partners to help address housing instability in Northwest Dayton which threatens the safety of the most vulnerable populations.”
Eviction rates are proven to significantly impact family economic mobility, neighborhood stability, and student success. It is especially detrimental to students, as housing instability is the greatest predictor of students' chronic absenteeism from school; in 2023, 63% of students experiencing homelessness were chronically absent from school. Even with these negative ramifications well recognized, tenants in Montgomery County have no right to legal counsel when facing eviction.
Any tenants facing eviction living in Northwest Dayton (zip codes 45405 and 45406) with a household income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, pregnant or have children living in the home are encouraged to apply directly or through a referral agency for ABLE’s services through the Legal Aid Line intake line at 1-888-534-1432 or www.legalaidline.org; or visit ABLE’s Dayton office at 130 West Second Street, Ste. 700, Dayton, Ohio 45402.
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