Philadelphia's city council this week passed a right to counsel bill, backed by Stout's in-depth analysis. Stout was retained by the Philadelphia Bar Association in 2018 to conduct an independent study regarding the costs and benefits to the City of Philadelphia if it were to provide attorneys to low-income tenants facing eviction. The findings of Stout’s report contributed to the passage of the bill on November 14.

The benefits of preventing tenants from experiencing displacement or disruption arising from eviction leads to: reductions in shelter costs, hospital costs (emergency room and inpatient), mental health costs, juvenile delinquency, and the number of eviction cases. Moreover, improvements related to tenant living conditions, court efficiencies, educational outcomes, community stability, confidence in the justice system, exercising of tenants' rights, and the preservation of affordable housing stock are also realized.

"I am extremely proud of the work our Transformative Change Consulting team has done for the City of Philadelphia," said Managing Director Neil Steinkamp. "Providing low-income tenants with counsel is not only a benefit to the city but changes the lives of families in difficult situations."

Learn more about Stout's cost benefit analysis study for Philadelphia.