Jody White

This concludes my coverage of the March 5, 2026 RIGHT TO COUNSEL public meeting. Jody White signing off at 7:05!

Again here is the funding source! Thank you Lake McCants!

The full annual report will be provided online in the next two weeks! Online access at can be obtaining using this QR code!

Next meeting will be announced by flyers … found through agencies and posted in the courts!

The next RIGHT TO COUNSEL public meeting should be before June 30, 2025.

For more information contact: Valerie Pilot at oed-law@detroitmi.gov

IMPORTANT: If you believe anything in the coverage today is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.

The presentation ended at 6:44 and the guests are commingling and talking with the vender agencies until 7pm

An online phone call is asking for help and “what is next”. Her case was dismissed with no place to go! Director Diamond put her into a breakout room with an attorney to start the process! Work in action!!!

There should be quarterly meetings to help educating the community!

This is a team effort! All the agencies worked together!!!!!! To help the residents in Detroit with free legal counsel!

An attorney - who loves being an attorney to help those who get taken advantage of - by an out of town landlord!!! No heat and no water!!! The coalition came to their door to tell them about their court date! A jury ruled in their favor - they owed no money to the landlord!

Another paralegal that helps tenants with rodents or maintenance as part of the commission!

A paralegal that helps with the commission! She is from intake to help with mediation!

Tenants Right Commission will help navigate complaints from start to finish! Yay!!!!

A resolution was made to form this “citizen commission” to help tenants with the right to counsel! This body is special because they are renters in Detroit and they help provide education and mediation.

State Representative Tonya Meyer Phillips (an attorney) wants more funds to be invested in this program to keep people in their homes to make the community stable! It’s a worthy investment!

*given in the courts! Before evicting proceedings start!

We need more notice of this project give in the courts, by the judges and through the attorneys!

Covid 19 brought in a new era. The court closed in March of 2020 due to covid 19, and did not reopen until August 2020. The city seeing the urgency during that crisis of tenants - being evicted, crammed into shelters and health hazards that that would create, came to us with an amendment.

“With a changed leadership, court leadership, particularly back, going back to 2016 we were allowed for the first time to have space at the court to open up clinic. Judges from that point are often referred tenants across the hall to meet with Attorney in room 417!”

“We can make sure everyone who is eligible has a chance to obtain free counsel, or at least to get free legal advice”!

“We immediately subcontracted with two partners, Michigan Legal Services and Lakeshore Legal Aid, who had joined us in staffing the court clinic I just referenced. And the model we came up with jointly was to make sure that every courtroom was covered every day by an attorney from one agency!” Yay!!

“When there appear to be legal issues for the tenant appearing without counsel before the judges, many judges will ask if they would like to talk to counsel before proceeding courtrooms. This is the after Covid story!!!

“Gone are the one minute hearings. Gone are the automatic 10 day judgments, even when tenants are not represented. Now, landlords and attorneys appear less likely to say that the tenant your only option is 10 days.”

Get to know your Representatives - this is Donavan McKinney!

State Rep McKinney is here to give credit to himself, Rep Santana and Senator Chang for getting funding to help the residents in their districts! “Got a million and a half dollars for Detroit right to council in this year's budget, two and a half million in last year's budget.”

Public health is seeing concerns with our children for safety reasons that affects the children’s behavior! The health department’s goal is to help build neighborhood where families can thrive where they live!

The Citizens want the Landlords to comply with building standards!

Social Workers with the Department of Health and Human Services are available to help find resources for those in time of eviction situations like this resident….