A program St. Louis aimed to help thousands of tenants struggling with eviction, but documents show only a few hundred received legal defense from the program in its first year.
Approved in 2023 and funded by American Rescue Plan money, the city’s Right to Counsel program set a goal to defend 1,125 cases in fiscal 2024-25. The program, later known as the Housing Eviction Law Program, would provide tenants facing eviction with legal representation and provide information and referrals to others.
But a report released in September shows that out of 1,352 people served by the program, only 343 received legal defense for eviction cases through the program. The others received some legal assistance or a referral…