![]() The tenant advocacy project will provide legal aid in six of the nine township small claims courts where eviction proceedings are heard, city officials announced on Thursday at the City-County Building. Indianapolis is expanding a new pilot program to provide legal staff throughout Marion County's township courts in an effort to keep renters housed as city officials brace for a surge in eviction filings once the expansive federal moratorium ends this week. However, the participants can attend the hearing by video from the court’s own meeting room, with socially-distanced help from court staff.Watch Video: Living on fixed income increases anxiety with eviction possibility Many in the community do not have access to reliable broadband and may have limited minutes to use on their phone. This ensures that the parties can still confer and perhaps settle their case, even if one party is remote.Įven though the pandemic caused all the court’s hearings to be virtual, participants sometimes arrive for their hearing in person, either unaware that the courtroom is closed to maintain social distancing or because they are unable to connect by video from home. To accommodate one of the parties appearing by video, these meeting rooms were equipped with videoconference equipment, allowing a party on site to meet with an off-site party. Lawrence Township has several meeting rooms, stemming off of the courtroom, where opposing parties can discuss a settlement of their dispute. Judge Bacon offered to pilot a virtual courtroom-quite a novel concept in the pre-pandemic era. The Technology Working Group envisioned enabling remote appearance by video during the first meeting on November 4, 2019. Three rooms with videoconferencing tools dedicated to free legal services are available directly off of Judge Kimberly Bacon’s courtroom. ![]()
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