{"id":13558,"date":"2025-09-24T18:14:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T23:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowermissouri.org\/?page_id=13558"},"modified":"2025-10-07T13:50:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T18:50:48","slug":"right-to-counsel-campaign-springfield","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/empowermissouri.org\/es\/policy-priorities\/affordable-housing\/right-to-counsel-campaign-springfield\/","title":{"rendered":"Right to Counsel Campaign &#8211; Springfield"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A coalition of organizations and tenant leaders are leading the fight to make Springfield the third city in Missouri to adopt a <strong>Right to Counsel<\/strong> <strong>(RTC)<\/strong> program for tenants. Just like defendants in criminal cases, tenants deserve fairness and protection in civil courtrooms.&nbsp;An RTC program would ensure that tenants facing eviction have access to free legal representation, leveling the playing field in housing court. It\u2019s an evidence-based housing intervention that <strong>reduces evictions and prevents homelessness.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RTC ordinances were passed in <a href=\"https:\/\/library.municode.com\/mo\/kansas_city\/codes\/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH35HO_ARTIIITERICO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kansas City<\/a> in 2021 and <a href=\"https:\/\/library.municode.com\/mo\/st._louis\/codes\/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT11HESA_CH11.106RICOPRRETEFAEV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Louis<\/a> in 2023. Kansas City saw a <strong>72% decrease in its eviction rate within three months of implementing the program.<\/strong> By decreasing evictions and preventing homelessness, RTC programs can improve health and educational outcomes, and build stronger communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can sign on to support the campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSds0uw2bg2fM0DptK4XrcvGkY1yA6qAEkmnNamvfE_5vCuZbw\/viewform\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Additional Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/article\/right-counsel-right-fighting-chance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Right to Counsel is a Right to a Fighting Chance<\/a> &#8211; Center for American Progress<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataforprogress.org\/memos\/right-to-counsel-in-housing-court\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Case for a Right to Counsel in Housing Court<\/a> &#8211; Data for Progress<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civilrighttocounsel.org\/map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Interactive Map of Existing Right to Counsel Laws<\/a> &#8211; National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stout.com\/en\/services\/transformative-change-consulting\/eviction-right-to-counsel-resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cost Benefits of a Right to Counsel<\/a> &#8211; Stout<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A coalition of organizations and tenant leaders are leading the fight to make Springfield the third city in Missouri to adopt a Right to Counsel (RTC) program for tenants. Just like defendants in criminal cases, tenants deserve fairness and protection in civil courtrooms.&nbsp;An RTC program would ensure that tenants facing eviction have access to free [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":13566,"parent":9821,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"coauthors":[447],"class_list":["post-13558","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Right to Counsel Campaign - Springfield - Empower Missouri<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/empowermissouri.org\/es\/policy-priorities\/affordable-housing\/right-to-counsel-campaign-springfield\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Right to Counsel Campaign - Springfield - Empower Missouri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A coalition of organizations and tenant leaders are leading the fight to make Springfield the third city in Missouri to adopt a Right to Counsel (RTC) program for tenants. 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