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Lakewood Public Library—Accessibility Expansion Lakewood Public Library Director James Crawford introduced his organization's proposal for$86,178 in ARPA funds to install updated elevator controls at the Madison Branch. Mr. Crawford stated that reliability and safety for staff,patrons, and firefighters are the chief concerns motivating the request. He explained that the need for updated elevator controls was unexpectedly brought to the library's attention during its recent renovation. Director Crawford provided a description of the proposed updates. He explained that the elevator is essential for accessing the community space in the library basement where early childhood programs and recovery programs are held. He pointed out that the proposed improvement is a fixed cost, and that the library was financially impacted by the pandemic, in that operating expenses increased. He added that once the elevator is updated, Lakewood Fire Department intends to use the library as a training site As sponsor of this proposal, Councilmember Marx expressed her support for the proposal. Councilmember Rader pointed out that while cities and counties received emergency COVID funds, that libraries did not. Legal Aid Society of Cleveland—Safe & Stable Housing Melanie Shakarian and Matt Vincel of the Legal Aid Society introduced their proposal to request funds for eviction and homelessness prevention. She explained the current legal landscape in which individuals facing eviction are not guaranteed legal representation, and in fact, only 1-2% of renters in the U.S.have access to legal counsel when their housing is at stake. She explained that the grant will be used to provide free legal assistance to Lakewood residents facing eviction. Mr. Vincel explained in detail the ways in which Legal Aid has and will help tenants by slowing the eviction process down and helping them connect to resources and avoid homelessness. Ms. Shakarian explained that Legal Aid is currently providing these services in the City of Cleveland. She explained how Legal Aid's presence in Cleveland has strengthened relationships with the Building Dept and Court, helping to identify issues early. She stated that Legal Aid could begin providing these services immediately. She articulated the results that Lakewood could expect from this investment,including helping an estimated 100-140 Lakewood households. Ms. Shakarian explained that in addition to Cleveland, the City of Shaker Heights is contemplating such a program and that multiple other communities support Legal Aid with their CDBG dollars for eviction assistance. In response to a question, Ms. Shakarian shared that Lakewood Municipal Court is experiencing approximately 350 evictions per year. However, not all of those facing eviction would be income-eligible for services. She shared the ways in which Legal Aid has collaborated on this proposal and similar efforts with Mayor George and Judge Neff. In response to a question, Ms. Shakarian explained that Legal Aid can only assist clients at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level due to restrictions on federal funds that it receives. The committee and Legal Aid discussed the statistic that 82% of Cleveland households facing eviction experience defective housing conditions. Ms. Shakarian explained that if this program moves forward in Lakewood, there will be Lakewood-specific data to share. Mr. Vincel added that Legal Aid will help clients to identify potential counterclaims related to sub-standard housing and seek justice on their behalf. 5