OKC eviction rate is “20th worst” in nation, new program gives free legal help to tenants
by Kyle Schwab
In 2016, there were 6,433 evictions in Oklahoma City, the Eviction Lab at Princeton University reported in a recently released study. The city’s 2016 eviction rate was 6.19 percent, meaning 6.19 in 100 renter homes were evicted, according to the nationwide eviction database.
Klinge said the goal of the university’s new program is to provide free legal help to tenants facing eviction in Oklahoma County. He hopes the program will “level the playing field” for tenants who are generally not represented by attorneys.
“We’re here to help. We cannot solve every problem, but what we will do is start looking at every case that comes to us to see if there is something there we can do to help in a legal sense,” Klinge said. “It’s important the public knows we’re here.”
State lawyers through a foundation donated $65,000 to create the program. In late March, the program began taking on clients.
Klinge, who also is the supervising attorney for the program, said he will represent clients in court, if necessary. He said his focus, though, has been “getting involved earlier.”
Since going public, Klinge has opened more than 20 cases, nearly all of which reached resolutions before having to go to court, he said.
“It’s because we’re getting them early. I have time … to figure this out,” he said. “Our goal is to help as many people as possible and to navigate that system and to try to find a way to successfully navigate it.”
The impact of an eviction on someone’s record can be detrimental. An eviction judgment could make it difficult to obtain housing in the future, Klinge said. The goal of the program is to find resolutions between tenants and landlords that won’t tarnish a tenant’s record.
Evictions take place in civil court, where renters have no right to an attorney. In Oklahoma County, about 200 families face eviction each week, Klinge said. These families have little to no knowledge of their rights as tenants, he said.
