Why were evictions in Hamilton County in 2024 so high?

Data from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab indicates Hamilton County had more eviction filings in 2024 than before the COVID-19 pandemic and an eviction rate higher than the national average.

Cincinnati Edition’s Lucy May spoke with panelists Nick Zingarelli, director of the Hamilton County Help center and UC Law staffer; Nicholas DiNardo, managing attorney at Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio; and Tom Hodges of J. Thomas Hodges & Associates about evictions in Hamilton County.

Panelists agreed that rents increased locally, but wages didn’t keep pace as federal rental assistance once adequate during the covid pandemic has dried up. That means more residents are turning to the Hamilton County Help Center for guidance.

“We are dealing with tenants who are going through a difficult time in their lives and we try to give them whatever assistance we can whether that is giving them information so they can best represent themselves or providing them with limited representation through show cause hearings to help them navigate thru the landscape that connects them with rental assistance,” Zingarelli told WVXU.

The Hamilton County Help Center is a partnership between the UC College of Law, the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts, Municipal Court, Juvenile Court and the County Commission.

Zingarelli says the area will have to depend more on support from local government and area philanthropic organizations to assist a growing number of individuals facing possible eviction.

Listen to the full WVXU segment online. 

Featured top image of an eviction notice courtesy of Istock.