Stark County Evictions Resume as Pandemic Drags on

Most municipal courts in the region had paused eviction hearings in mid-March due to the national health crisis. Canton Municipal Court restarted its eviction hearings in early July, and Massillon Municipal Court resumed its hearings last week. 

Judge Curt Werren said Canton Municipal Court hasn’t experienced a massive surge in eviction filings. “I realize there may be a lot more filings coming, but we haven’t seen it, I feel confident we can handle the increase if it does come he said Friday, noting there had been a “slight uptick” the first full two weeks of July,”  Werren added.

Community Legal Aid is among the agencies trying to prevent people from losing their homes, said Steven McGarrity, the agency’s executive director. Legal Aid has set up an eviction tool-kit on its website — www.communitylegalaid.org/eviction — and holds weekly online clinics on the subject that are free. A tenant assistance helpline also is available at 330-983-2528.

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