Housing and Eviction Defense Clinic
The faculty of the Housing and Eviction Defense Clinic and law students working under their supervision represent tenants facing eviction or loss of a rental subsidy in Connecticut.
Information for the Public
The Housing and Eviction Defense Clinic provides free legal assistance to certain tenants in cases of eviction or loss of a housing subsidy. The clinic is funded in part by the Connecticut Fair Housing Center with funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
People facing an urgent eviction or seeking representation should contact Statewide Legal Services via evictionhelpct.org or 1-800-559-1565.
People seeking primarily information or advice from a law student (supervised by an attorney) regarding evictions or other rental housing issues, may click on the button below and fill out a form. Completing the form does not create an attorney/client relationship.
Tenants who face eviction without legal assistance are twice as likely as tenants who have a lawyer to lose their homes in a removal order, according to a study by the Connecticut Fair Housing Center and the Hartford Data Collaborative. Yet only 7 percent of renters in eviction cases in Connecticut have legal assistance. The Housing and Eviction Defense Clinic at the UConn School of Law was established to address this disparity.
Student Experience
Students in the Housing and Eviction Defense Clinic, working under the supervision of clinic faculty, interview and counsel clients who are facing eviction and appear in Connecticut Superior Court as their primary advocates. Students draft motions and work directly with clients on strategy and negotiation with landlords. Students will gain mediation strategy skills, cultural competency and trauma-informed lawyering overview as well as identification of other legal concerns and referral processes.