When a tenant struggles to get their landlord to address concerns in their home, such as mold, electrical and plumbing issues, and other problems that can make their living conditions unsafe or unhealthy, The Fair Housing Center (TFHC) steps in. Through a grant from the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, TFHC works to address conditions issues, keeping Toledo residents in their homes of choice and preventing eviction.
“More than 50% of the calls we get involve a health issue in the home, things like mold and air quality issues,” said George Thomas, CEO & general counsel of TFHC. “When a home is unhealthy, it can make people sick and cause downstream consequences for Ohioans, like not being able to get to work or go to school.”
The Lucas County residents who contact TFHC pay their rent on time and want to stay in their home. Moving is expensive and stressful, and parents are hesitant to uproot their children from their homes and schools.
“For many people, breaking a lease to move, paying a new security deposit, changing school districts, and upending their lives is simply not an option,” Thomas said.
When a landlord or property manager refuses to address poor conditions, tenants may try to withhold their rent. But, without help to properly escrow their rent, mistakes can be made.
“People will try to escrow their rent, but they don’t understand the process, or they do it the wrong way,” Thomas said. “Often it can result in an eviction, and by the time the matter reaches the stage of filing an eviction, a positive resolution for clients is difficult.”
In 2022, TFHC launched its Housing Conditions and Neighborhood Reinvestment program in response to the large number of calls it received about conditions issues. Particularly as the Toledo housing market has changed, with outside investors purchasing lower cost real estate and the number of renters increasing, the need for legal services related to conditions has skyrocketed. Through community education, brief advice, and direct representation, TFHC has served hundreds of Lucas County residents since the program’s inception, with demand continuing to grow.
“Doing this type of work has become a critical piece of the legal needs landscape,” Thomas said. “These are basic issues of human decency, and having a home where your children can be healthy – that stands everywhere.”
The Foundation funds specialty legal service providers like The Fair Housing Center to address the unique civil legal needs of specific populations. Learn more about TFHC.