(St. Louis)
WHAT: St. Louis renters, housing advocates, and tenant organizers will hold a rally and press conference to highlight insufficiencies of the existing Right to Counsel program and to demand full, sustained funding and complete implementation to combat evictions in St. Louis. The event precedes a Board of Aldermen Housing, Urban Development, and Zoning (HUDZ) Committee Meeting.
WHO: Tenants, organizers, and advocates will be speaking about their experiences and advocating for the full implementation of the Right to Counsel program in St. Louis City.
WHEN: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
* 5:15 PM: Press Conference at City Hall
* 6:00 PM: Board of Aldermen HUDZ Committee Meeting
WHERE: St. Louis City Hall
1200 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
WHY: It’s not easy being a renter in St. Louis City, particularly for these reasons:
- According to data from the Missouri Office of the State Courts Administrator, between 2017 to 2024, approximately 41,000 renters in St. Louis City had an eviction case filed against them
- Scaled to population, St. Louis City, the rate of total eviction cases is about double the rate of eviction cases filed in St. Louis County.
- Under Missouri law, evictions are fast-moving proceedings with few substantive or procedural protections for tenants.
- While about 90% of landlords have legal representation, less than 3% of tenants do
In recent years, renters with local grassroots organizations Tenants Transforming Greater St. Louis and We the Tenants have successfully advocated for policies that protect tenants’ rights, like the Right to Counsel program, which was passed by St. Louis City Board of Aldermen in 2023.
The program, called “HELP-STL,” began in July 2024, with a goal of representing 1,125 evicted tenants. So far, Right to Counsel attorneys have only defended 343 eviction cases.
Renters and organizers are concerned about the program’s shortfalls and its future, especially after the devastating tornado that tore through historically disinvested and majority Black neighborhoods in St. Louis City.
Despite the critical need, and the program’s success in preventing evictions and preserving housing stability for low-income St. Louis renters who have gotten an attorney, the first two years of the program have not been fully funded.
Ordinance 71694, which created the Right to Counsel program, includes a budget calling for $1.31 and $2.52 million in funding for the first two years; however, the City has only provided a total of $685,000, or less than 20% of the proposed budget.
On Tuesday, November 18, 2025 advocates sent a letter to City officials outlining their concerns, experiences, and demands.
Advocates at the press conference and the committee hearing intend to make a direct call to the Mayor, President of the Board of Aldermen, the Board of Aldermen, and the Comptroller to fulfill the city’s commitment to legislation they passed in 2023.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, as of September 2023, seven cities, four states, and one county guarantee access to legal representation to tenants in eviction cases. Kansas City reports major success with their right to counsel program: in the first 18 months, over 2,000 cases received legal representation and 82% of those were either dismissed or ruled in favor of the tenant, and more than 1,300 tenants avoided eviction.
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About ArchCity Defenders
ArchCity Defenders is a holistic legal advocacy organization that fights against the criminalization of poverty and state violence, especially in communities of color.
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Media Contact:
Z Gorley, Director of Communications, ArchCity Defenders
zgorley@archcitydefenders.org
(314) 643-2463