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Housing Stability Through Partnership: How the Eviction Ecosystem Coordinates
Wednesday October 21, 2026 3:15pm - 4:45pm EDT
Cincinnati Convention Center
There will never be enough attorneys to represent every tenant facing eviction. That reality can be paralyzing — or it can be the starting point for building something different. In Hamilton County, Ohio, a collection of partners decided it was a starting point. The elected Clerk of Courts, a law school clinical program, a city councilmember, a housing mediation organization, the United Way, and a health-focused philanthropy came together — not through a strategic plan, but through a series of relationships that grew into a coordinated eviction mitigation ecosystem. Same-day limited representation for tenants who would otherwise appear alone. Pre-eviction mediation to resolve disputes before a filing ever happens. A rental assistance pipeline administered through the United Way's 211 system. A tenant guide co-created with community partners. Monthly eviction docket observation sessions where stakeholders from across the region witness firsthand how eviction actually functions in the courtroom. Each partner contributes something the others can't provide, and the whole produces outcomes no single organization could achieve alone.
This session presents that ecosystem as a case study in collective partnership — not just what was built, but how. How did the Clerk's office become a partnership hub rather than just a filing window? How did the city council's unanimous passage of the Access to Counsel ordinance create the funding infrastructure for limited representation and rental assistance? How did a health philanthropy become one of the most consistent investors in eviction prevention — attending the very first docket observation, testifying for the ordinance, and funding technology expansion? How did a housing mediation organization launch pre-filing mediation as a way to prevent evictions from being filed in the first place? And how did a university law school partnership allow the Help Center to staff attorneys who provide limited representation at scale? The panelists aren't presenting from a distance — they built these partnerships together, and they'll be honest about what was hard: the negotiations that almost stalled, the institutional skepticism that had to be overcome, and the data infrastructure that had to be built from scratch to measure whether any of it was working.
After the Hamilton County story, participants map their own eviction ecosystems. Each table identifies every actor touching housing stability in their jurisdiction — courts, legal aid, tenant organizations, landlord associations, sheriffs, social services, housing authorities, philanthropies — and maps where coordination exists and where it doesn't. The gap analysis consistently reveals partnerships that seem obvious once you see them on paper but that nobody has initiated. Each participant drafts a specific 30-day partnership ask — "I'm going to reach out to [specific organization] to propose [specific collaboration]" — and exchanges it with a neighbor for accountability. You'll leave with the Hamilton County model documentation, an ecosystem mapping template, the Access to Counsel ordinance text, and a commitment to one new partnership conversation you'll have before the next month is over.

Speakers
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Pavan Parikh

Hamilton County Clerk of Courts
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Nicha Zingarelli

Hamilton County Municipal Court Help Center
Nicha Zingarelli (she/her) is the Director and Chief Attorney of the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Help Center. Nicha has practiced law for over twenty years and has overseen a dramatic expansion of the Help Center during her leadership. Nicha has co-founded the eviction limited... Read More →
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Megan Folkerth

Interact for Health
Megan Folkerth is Senior Director of Strategy and Programs at Interact for Health, where she leads grantmaking philosophy and practices grounded in trust-based philanthropy. She ensures the organization’s values are reflected across all grantmaking and provides strategic leadership... Read More →
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Elisabeth Risch

Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME)
Elisabeth Risch is the Executive Director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Greater Cincinnati (HOME). She started in this role in April 2022. She leads the organization’s mission to eliminate unlawful housing discrimination in the Cincinnati area and promote stable and integrated... Read More →
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Meeka Owens

Cincinnati City Councilmember, Cincinnati City Council
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Moira Weir

United Way of Greater Cincinnati
Moira Weir became the first female President and CEO of United Way of Greater Cincinnati in 2020. She has guided the organization through transformative change designed to help all people achieve economic well-being within its nine-county service area in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana... Read More →
Wednesday October 21, 2026 3:15pm - 4:45pm EDT
Cincinnati Convention Center 537 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
  Partnership

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