Facing eviction? This free service can connect you with a lawyer
The South Carolina Bar Association and South Carolina Legal Services are urging residents facing eviction in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic to call their hot line for free legal help.
“Many evictions – and the effects they have on our society – can be avoided simply by having an attorney advocate for a tenant in the eviction process,” said Betsy Goodale, director of the South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program. “A majority of tenants who are represented by counsel in eviction matters have a successful outcome compared to very few when unrepresented.”
South Carolina residents who call 1-833-958-2266 will be matched with a pro bono attorney either through South Carolina Legal Services or another lawyer who has volunteered their time.
Callers will have to have a household income that is 200% below the federal poverty level to receive free help. But communications director for the Bar Association, Mary-Kathryn Craft, said they can still refer callers who don’t meet those qualifications to a lawyer who can do an initial consultation for less than $50.
Since the hot line was created in early April, Craft said they’ve gotten around 150 calls.
“With the moratoriums on evictions ending, we are expecting more people to need help with housing matters,” she said.
Up until May 1, renters in South Carolina were protected against eviction thanks to a moratorium issued by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty. People in buildings with federally backed mortgages were shielded from eviction under the CARES act up until July 15.
Since those protections expired, more than 2,000 evictions have been filed in Richland and Lexington counties, according to court records.
Before the pandemic began, South Carolina already had the highest eviction rate in the nation, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.
“We want to remind South Carolinians who are facing this that there is help out there,” Craft said. “If you don’t know where to turn we want you to give us a call.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 9:06 AM.
