Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services

Franklin County, Ohio faces an eviction rate exceeding that of both the state and national average. Since 1997, families experiencing rental instability in Franklin County have been able to apply for emergency rental assistance through the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services (FCDJFS) Prevention, Retention, and Contingency program. In alignment with this agency’s goal to learn about many different ways to improve housing stability, FCDJFS is now partnering with J-PAL North America to examine the impact of an eviction prevention workshop on the number of evictions for a population currently receiving emergency rental assistance. This evaluation will examine primary outcomes connected to eviction rates and secondary outcomes of housing safety and sustainability, cost burden, participant mobility, and participants’ rates of return for further rental assistance.