Support Pay to Stay Legislation in Northeast Ohio
Under Ohio law, renters can be a day late on rent and still get evicted.
Under a ‘Pay to Stay’ ordinance, a landlord may not proceed with the eviction for nonpayment of rent if that tenant presents the full rent due plus late fees by the time of the eviction hearing. We know that 1 in 7 evictions lead to homelessness and even more evictions lead to doubling or tripling up with family or friends, which is harmful for families, especially children. Pay to Stay legislation ensures fairness and recognizes that evictions harm communities. Most tenants are unrepresented in eviction court, so Pay to Stay gives courts and the community something tangible to turn to during the process.
We are asking that you add your organization’s name to the letter below to show your support of Pay to Stay legislation across Cuyahoga County.
Pay to Stay Letter of Support
America’s ongoing housing crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of poor renting families spend at least half of their income on housing costs while almost a quarter—representing over a million families—dedicate over 70 percent of their income to pay rent and utilities. This immense housing cost burden is felt disproportionately by renters of color, particularly Black women with children in the home. As our nation continues to address the COVID-19 crisis, renters facing financial hardship, remain at risk of eviction and homelessness. This could lead to increased demand for congregate emergency shelter or doubling up, and in turn disease transmission. More must be done to keep people in their homes.
Ohio is one of five states that permits a landlord to file for an eviction immediately upon nonpayment of rent. This reality leaves tenants and their families in a precarious position, particularly during a health crisis that has created substantial economic uncertainty. The good news is municipalities have the power to pass a ‘Pay to Stay’ ordinance. Pay to Stay prevents a landlord from evicting a tenant for being a day or two late on rent. Proposed legislation would require landlords to accept late rental payment and fees so that renters have the right to redeem tenancy up to the point of eviction judgement. Pay to Stay ensures housing stability for households, while landlords receive the money necessary to operate without loss of income through an eviction and re-rental process.
Pay to Stay provisions would complement existing federal resources. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, emergency rental assistance and local and federal eviction moratoria have protected renters. While temporary extensions to the CDC moratorium delay eviction hearings, these extensions will eventually end. The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless knows of several tenants who could not access emergency rental assistance, were forced to move out, or had to attend an eviction hearing for nonpayment of rent, despite the availability of rental assistance funding. Further, not all landlords have chosen to accept rental assistance since they are not required to accept it.
Enacting Pay to Stay is a tangible policy tool that will protect communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by evictions, homelessness, and entrenched structural and economic inequities. In a city with the highest poverty rate among large U.S. cities and more than half of the child population living in poverty, the right to Pay to Stay could provide protection in Cleveland from devastating housing loss and educational disruption. It would also be a step toward combating racism as a public health crisis, as declared in 2020 by the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
Pay to Stay legislation has already passed in Toledo and Yellow Springs, Ohio. A coalition of people representing housing advocacy groups, local government, affordable housing developers, and community development organizations from across Cuyahoga County have shown their support for Pay to Stay by educating stakeholders throughout Northeast Ohio. The City of South Euclid and Lakewood are introducing Pay to Stay in early 2021, and members of Cleveland City Council, Cleveland Heights City Council, Euclid City Council, & County Councilman Dale Miller have expressed interest in supporting Pay to Stay legislation.
To continue protecting vulnerable households and to preserve public health measures, the following organizations support the passing of Pay to Stay legislation across Northeast Ohio:
Akron Democratic Socialists of America
All Together Divine
APE MADE
Birthing Beautiful Communities
Black Lives Matter Cleveland
Breakthrough Public Schools
Bree Lundberg Illustration, Inc.
Carmella Rose Health Foundation
The Center for Health Affairs
CHN Housing Partners
Cleveland Catholic Worker Community
Cleveland Communist Party USA
Cleveland End Poverty Now Coalition
Cleveland Jobs with Justice
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Cleveland Nonviolence Network
Cleveland Owns
Cleveland VOTES
Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio
The Cuyahoga Black Caucus
Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Corporation
DSA Cleveland
EDEN Inc.
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Environmental Health Watch
Fair Housing Center for Rights & Research
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank
HFLA of Northeast Ohio
House of Refuge Inc.
Humility of Mary Housing
InterReligious Task Force on Central America
Journey Center for Safety and Healing
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
Malachi Center
MidTown Cleveland, Inc.
Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation
Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless
Ohio City Incorporated
Ohio Student Association
Organize! Ohio
Our Revolution Ohio
Saint Ignatius High School - Christian Action Team
Saint Luke’s Foundation
Showing Up for Racial Justice, Northeast Ohio Chapter
Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
Slavic Village Development
Social Justice Committee of Sisters of St. Joseph
St. Clair Superior Development Corporation
St. Edward High School Labre Ministry
St. Paul’s Community Outreach
Sunrise Cleveland
ThirdSpace Action Lab
Thriving Communities Institute
Tremont West Development Corporation
Trinity Cathedral
Urban League of Greater Cleveland
The West End Running Club
West Side Catholic Center
YWCA Greater Cleveland
If you have any questions or need any additional information from the Pay to Stay Working Group, you can contact us via the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless at MollyMartin@neoch.org.