Right to Counsel: Louisville, KY
Published on: October 7, 2025
MORE ABOUT THE STRATEGY USED IN THIS CASE STUDY Housing stability and displacement prevention
At-a-Glance
Summary
In 2021, more than a quarter of households in Louisville were housing cost burdened, meaning they spent over 30 percent of their income on housing-related expenses. With housing affordability an ongoing issue, Jefferson County saw more than 1,000 eviction cases filed each month between 2016 and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Louisville, as in most U.S. cities, tenants facing eviction were primarily low-income and rarely had legal representation; their landlords, however, nearly always did. In part due to this imbalance, landlords in Louisville were overwhelmingly successful in eviction cases.
Recognizing this dynamic, local leaders began pushing for Louisville to adopt a Right to Counsel program. In 2021, Louisville Metro Government approved funding for the Legal Aid Society to launch the Right to Counsel Project to provide low-income residents in Jefferson County with legal representation during eviction proceedings.
Keys to the program’s success included an increased sense of urgency to act on housing stability issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the presence of strong advocates for right to counsel both inside and outside of local government, an effective messaging campaign from advocates, and a strong “collaborative infrastructure” in Louisville’s social sector.
Barriers to the success of the program included a broader legal context that favored landlords; demand for right to counsel services consistently outstripping what could be provided with the available resources; and the ongoing need for additional, upstream policy interventions to more comprehensively address barriers to housing stability.
Results and Accomplishments
607
In 2024, the Legal Aid Society served 607 unique clients through its Right to Counsel program.
734
The same year, 734 children indirectly benefited from their parent(s) or guardian(s) receiving legal representation.
100%
100 percent of right to counsel clients who received direct legal representation avoided or delayed their eviction.
An early leader in providing legal representation: Across the United States, tenants rarely have legal representation in eviction cases, while their landlords nearly always do. Increasingly, cities, counties, and states are adopting right to counsel programs to provide tenants facing eviction with legal services to address this gap in justice. Louisville was an early leader in this space – in 2021, Louisville became the 9th local jurisdiction in the country and the first in the South to implement a Right to Counsel Project.
Reducing the risk of displacement: Between 2021 and 2024, the Legal Aid Society in Louisville provided legal representation to more than 2,300 clients through the Right to Counsel Project. These clients consistently avoid or delay their evictions, helping them retain or secure stable housing for themselves and their families.
Reducing expenditures on homeless services: When evictions increase, homelessness increases. For local government and social services agencies, providing individuals experiencing homelessness with the shelter, healthcare, and social services they need is extremely costly – averaging thousands of dollars per person each year. Legal representation through Louisville’s Right to Counsel Project is far less costly, averaging only hundreds per case. To the extent that the program reduces eviction, right to counsel is saving Louisville Metro Government and its nonprofit partners significant outlays on homeless services.
Earning sustained and expanded funding: Legal Aid Society launched its Right to Counsel Project with $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from Louisville Metro Government in 2021. As ARPA dollars were spent down, Louisville Metro Government chose to continue funding the program at the same level through its regular funding streams. In 2025, the city-country government expanded its support for right to counsel to $400,000. The sustained and expanded funding demonstrates local buy in for the Right to Counsel Project in Louisville.
Broadening the program’s reach: Initially, Legal Aid Society’s Right to Counsel Project was limited to low-income households with children. In 2023, however, eligibility was expanded to all households at or below 125 percent the federal poverty line, doubling the number of households eligible for services.
Overview
What was the challenge?
A growing housing affordability crisis drives evictions: In 2021, Jefferson County, which includes Louisville, needed more than 50,000 additional units of affordable housing to meet the needs of households earning under 50 percent of area median income. The lack of affordable housing meant that more than a quarter of households in the Louisville area were classified as cost burdened, meaning they spent over 30 percent of their income on housing-related expenses. With housing affordability an ongoing issue, Jefferson County saw more than 1,000 eviction cases filed each month between 2016 and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Limited access to legal representation: In Louisville, as in most U.S. cities, tenants facing eviction were primarily low-income and rarely had legal representation; their landlords, however, nearly always did. In part due to this imbalance, landlords in Louisville were overwhelmingly successful in eviction cases. Prior to Louisville’s Right to Counsel Project, Legal Aid Society helped a small number of clients avoid or delay their evictions. However, with limited resources, Legal Aid could only handle a fraction of the demand, leaving thousands of households each year without legal representation during eviction proceedings.
COVID-19 worsens housing instability: In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began, Louisville saw a spike in the number of residents unable to pay their rent. As a result, eviction cases in Jefferson County began to tick up. Leveraging federal pandemic relief dollars, Louisville Metro Government dramatically expanded emergency rental assistance. Paired with national- and state-level eviction moratoria, the impact of the pandemic on evictions was reduced. However, as funding for rental assistance dried up and the moratoria ended, local leaders recognized the need for action to prevent a rapid rise in evictions.
Organizing to address housing instability: Before the pandemic, a group of community partners, including the Coalition for the Homeless, South Louisville Community Ministries, and Louisville Metro Government launched the Eviction Prevention Working Group, which consisted of key government and nonprofit organizations working on housing stability in Louisville. As COVID-19 created additional pressure to take action, the Eviction Prevention Working Group ramped up its work to improve existing – and launch new – programs to increase housing stability. Building on this momentum, local leaders in Louisville began working toward a Right to Counsel program for tenants facing eviction.
What was the solution?
Launching a Right to Counsel Project: In 2021, Louisville Metro Government enacted a right to counsel ordinance and approved $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for Legal Aid Society to launch a Right to Counsel Project for tenants facing eviction. Legal Aid continues to operate the program, with continued support from Louisville Metro Government.
Connecting households facing eviction with Legal Aid services: The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office delivers court notices to households facing eviction. Through a partnership with the Coalition for the Homeless, the Sheriff's Office includes a flyer with each court notice; the flyer describes the eviction process and provides contact information for Legal Aid Society’s Right to Counsel Project. Legal Aid also receives referrals to the program from Jefferson County Eviction Court social workers and other community-based organizations.
Conducting intake and identifying a legal strategy: The Right to Counsel Project was initially limited to households that included children and earned under 125 percent of the federal poverty line. However, the program has since expanded to all households meeting the income threshold. Clients that meet the eligibility criteria are connected with a paralegal, who confirms that Legal Aid is taking their case, requests any necessary documentation, and reminds them of their court date. A Legal Aid attorney then conducts an initial review and determines the level of support and legal strategy that is appropriate for the client.
Providing legal advice and representation: In cases where the client has no or limited defense, Legal Aid typically advises the client on how to navigate eviction proceedings, from their first court date through judgment and the set out warrant, and their right to appeal. When possible, however, Legal Aid will mount a legal defense to prevent the eviction or delay it until the client can find alternative housing. For example, Legal Aid may review the client’s lease for illegal language (e.g., prohibiting the tenant from contacting code enforcement), counter sue landlords whose properties do not meet housing code, or pursue a jury trial – a long and expensive process for landlords.
Who was involved?
Legal Aid Society: Legal Aid Society operates Louisville’s Right to Counsel program. Among other responsibilities, Legal Aid conducts client intake and provides legal services.
Coalition for the Homeless: The Coalition for the Homeless was an early advocate for creating a Right to Counsel program in Louisville. The organization conducts tenant outreach and continues to advocate for increased funding for the Right to Counsel Project.
Louisville Metro Government: Louisville Metro Government’s Office of Housing and Community Development administers the jurisdiction’s contract with Legal Aid Society. Louisville Metro Council also plays a key role. Former councilmember Cassie Chambers-Armstrong championed the program, leading Council to allocate State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and later permanent local funding to Right to Counsel.
Jefferson County District Court: In Louisville, eviction cases are tried through Jefferson County District Court. The court employs social workers to connect households in eviction proceedings to support services, including Legal Aid’s Right to Counsel Project.
Eviction Prevention Working Group: The Working Group was a coalition of non-profit and public agencies that worked on housing stability issues. The working group coordinated the local COVID-19 response that laid the foundation for Right to Counsel and other housing stability policies. More recently, the working group was folded into Metro United Way’s Housing Alliance.
Social service agencies: Social service agencies, like South Louisville Community Ministries, are a common entry point for households seeking assistance with housing instability. These organizations often refer cases to Legal Aid.
Other community-based organizations: A range of community-based organizations – like the Louisville Urban League, Metropolitan Housing Coalition, and Metro United Way – serve as advocates and supporters of the Right to Counsel Project.
What factors drove success?
A policy window opens: While advocates had long pointed to the need for action, the COVID-19 pandemic created a sense of urgency to act on housing stability issues. The federal government also provided new funding sources, namely State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds through the American Rescue Plan Act. The sense of urgency and the new funding sources made it easier for local leaders to “think outside of the box” and advance new policy solutions like Right to Counsel.
Strong advocates inside and outside of government: Advocacy by non-profit and public sector leaders – and having an outspoken champion on Metro Council itself – were key in securing funding from Louisville Metro Government to launch the Right to Counsel Project. As pandemic relief funding sunsetted, these advocates were vital in ensuring Metro Council continued funding the program through its regular funding streams.
Differentiating narratives to support advocacy efforts: As Legal Aid Society and its partners advocated for Right to Counsel, they crafted differentiated narratives that illustrated how Right to Counsel would benefit a wide range of stakeholders. For example, to appeal to judges, advocates highlighted how Right to Counsel could streamline court processes. To appeal to the Sheriff’s Department, in contrast, advocates emphasized how it could reduce the number of set-outs – when tenants and their belongings are removed from a property – they have to perform.
A collaborative social sector ecosystem: There is a strong collaborative culture across non-profit and public agencies working on housing stability issues in Louisville. In no small part, this is because of the Eviction Prevention Working Group convened by the Coalition for the Homeless and its partners. This collaborative infrastructure has strengthened the group’s ability to problem solve. For example, for Right to Counsel to be effective, local leaders recognized that households needed to be aware of it and to show up for court. This led the Coalition for the Homeless to partner with the Sheriff’s Office to include information on Right to Counsel services with eviction court notices.
What were the major obstacles?
Limited existing protections for renters: Jefferson County’s eviction proceedings are governed by the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), legislation that provides relatively few pathways for tenants to avoid eviction. This legal landscape, in which renters have limited protections, increases the number of tenants facing eviction and reduces the legal pathways available to them to delay or avoid an eviction.
Demand for services still exceeds capacity: Legal Aid Society operates a relatively small right to counsel program, staffed by three full-time attorneys and two paralegals. In a metropolitan area of over 1.3 million people, the program is unable to provide services to everyone who is eligible. In recent years, Legal Aid has had to turn down about one out of every two applicants. As emergency rental assistance and other housing stability programs from the COVID-19 era dry up, the need for eviction prevention services only continues to increase. While Legal Aid and its partners secured additional funding for Right to Counsel in 2025, the resources available are insufficient to meet the full demand for services.
Funding dynamics impact staff continuity: Legal Aid’s Right to Counsel Project is funded through one-year grants that must be reapproved each year. The uncertainty created by the short grant cycle – paired with relatively low compensation – can result in greater turnover for Legal Aid attorneys. As overall experience and the relationships that Legal Aid attorneys build with attorneys representing landlords are valuable to their work, high turnover has the potential to impact the program’s effectiveness.
The need for broader solutions to address housing instability: Right to Counsel is vital, but it is ultimately downstream of the broader issues – namely, housing affordability – driving housing instability and evictions. Upstream policies, like affordable housing construction and emergency rental assistance, are underfunded in Louisville. While Legal Aid Society cannot engage in legislative advocacy, its partners, like the Coalition for the Homeless, continue to push for upstream policy solutions.
Timeline
The Eviction Prevention Working Group launches to coordinate housing stability work across Louisville, laying the foundation for coordination on initiatives like Right to Counsel.
Louisville Metro Government allocates federal pandemic relief dollars for Legal Aid Society to launch the Right to Counsel Project. The program becomes the first municipal Right to Counsel program for tenants facing eviction in the South.
The Jefferson County District Court agrees for judges to sit in eviction court for one-year terms, as opposed to rotating daily. This consistency ensures judges have greater familiarity with the dynamics of evictions in the county.
Louisville Metro Government affirms its commitment to the Right to Counsel Project by allocating local funds as federal pandemic relief dollars are spent down.
Legal Aid Society serves over 800 unique clients in its Right to Counsel Project, its record for a calendar year.
Louisville Metro Government increases funding for Legal Aid Society from $300,000 to $400,000 per year.
Implementation process
How does the initiative create greater opportunity for community members?
Reducing racial and socioeconomic disparities in access to legal representation: In Louisville, as in most U.S. cities, Black residents are both disproportionately low-income and renters. While high-income renters can generally access a lawyer when faced with an eviction proceeding, low-income renters often cannot afford one. Legal Aid Society’s Right to Counsel Project helps ensure low-income renters have legal representation like their higher-income counterparts.
Blunting the negative impact of evictions: Experiencing an eviction has significant negative impacts on a household. Beyond increased rates of housing instability and homelessness, evictions can lead to negative outcomes for physical and mental health, employment and earnings, and food insecurity. By preventing and delaying evictions, Louisville’s Right to Counsel Project reduces these burdens on the area’s low-income households.
How was this approach funded?
Launching with pandemic relief dollars: In 2021, Louisville Metro Council allocated $300,000 of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to Legal Aid Society to launch the Right to Counsel Project for tenants facing eviction.
Sustaining the program with local funding: As Louisville spent down its pandemic relief dollars, a new funding source was needed to continue the Right to Counsel Project. Recognizing its success, Metro Council began funding the Right to Counsel Project through its regular funding streams in 2022. In 2025, the allocation was expanded to $400,000.
How has the approach been measured and refined?
Expanding eligibility to more residents: When Legal Aid Society’s Right to Counsel Project launched, eligibility was limited to low-income households with children. In practice, validating and tracking whether clients had children created a challenging administrative burden. In 2023, Legal Aid dropped the requirement that a household have children, doubling the number of households eligible for the program.
Developing effective communication practices: Eviction proceedings in Louisville are complex and have historically favored landlords. As a result, tenants facing an eviction often disengaged from the process. For Right to Counsel to be effective, however, tenants need to access services before their court date. As a result, effectively communicating with tenants about how and when to access services has been key to the success of right to counsel. Steps that Legal Aid and their partners have taken to ensure tenants are aware of Right to Counsel services include sending a flyer with every eviction summons, including an announcement during first court appearances, and building strong referral relationships with court social workers and nonprofit service providers.
Collecting programmatic data to demonstrate impact: Legal Aid Society measures the impact of its Right to Counsel Project through programmatic data. The topline figure used is the proportion of clients who receive legal representation that avoid or delay their eviction, as mitigating the negative consequences of an eviction is the program’s primary goal. That said, other programmatic data – like the number of clients served and the number of children indirectly represented – also illustrate the program’s reach.