CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH – Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, the Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry and City of Cleveland Ward 5 Councilman Richard Starr will host the Central Surge Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair to assist people with past criminal convictions to seal their records.  

What:  Central Surge Expungement Clinic and Resource Fair

When:  Wednesday, September 14^th 
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: The Word Church Downtown – 5900 Kinsman Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44104

An expungement is a legal process that clears any reference of past criminal convictions provided under Section 2953 of the Ohio Revised Code. Volunteers from the Cuyahoga County Office of Public Defender and Cleveland State University Marshall School of Law will counsel expungement applicants through the expungement process. The event is free and open to the public.

In addition to legal help, more than a dozen County agencies and community groups will be onsite to provide resources for education and employment opportunities in construction, health care, hospitality, manufacturing, and transportation, among other industries.

“Getting people back into the workforce to support themselves and their families is a key element to our Office of Reentry’s work,” said County Executive Armond Budish. “By working with trusted partners and community organizations, we can expand our reach and get more people connected to critical services and resources.”  

Simeon L. Best, the Director of the Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry, said the criminal record expungement process removes employment barriers, which leads to more career opportunities for formerly incarcerated citizens.

“The Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry stands in solidarity with the City of Cleveland’s Ward 5 to offer expungement and/or record sealing services to the justice involved population. Through our joint efforts we are creating opportunities to thrive for some of our most vulnerable community members.” 

Councilman Starr added that the collaboration with the Office of Reentry will provide his constituents with access to a clean slate and viable career options.

“As the councilman of Ward 5, I must work with other leaders to help ensure that residents can receive a second chance. That starts with helping support ways to expunge constituents' records in Ward 5 while connecting them with real job opportunities."