SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Springfield city leaders are weighing new regulations on rental properties, sparking a debate between housing advocates and landlords over how to handle evictions.
Housing advocates argue that eviction has devastating consequences for families. Meanwhile, members of the Springfield Apartment and Housing Association (SAHA) warn that new rules, such as a tenant’s “right-to-counsel,” could drive up the cost of rental housing. Association members recently sent a letter to the mayor and city council in response to growing efforts to pass such an ordinance.
John Pollock, with the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, has been working with local advocacy group Springfield Tenants Unite. They are pushing for solutions like a right-to-counsel, which provides legal representation to tenants facing eviction…