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A settlement agreement requires the city of Akron to give notice before seizing homeless people's property and store the items for 30 days. Pictured are the suit's plaintiffs coming out of federal court with their attorneys, Avidan Cover (attorney), Melvin Thompson, Patrick More, Rebecca Sremack (attorney) Carl Lynch, William Buker, Cody Usner and Nicole Gould.

AKRON, Ohio - A federal judge has approved a settlement agreement requiring the city of Akron to give 48 hours' notice before removing homeless people's tents and other belongings from public or private property. The city also must store any items taken for 30 days to enable homeless people to reclaim their items.

Federal Judge Donald C. Nugent approved the agreement, which will be overseen by the court. It is expected to ensure basic protection of temporary shelters and personal property for the Akron homeless community.

"This is an important victory for the homeless community--people all too often marginalized and abused," said Case Western Professor Avidan Cover in a news release. "The court-enforced agreement makes clear that all homeless people have constitutionally protected property rights mandating notice and the opportunity to challenge government seizures."

The settlement is the conclusion of a 2014 class action lawsuit filed by several homeless people after they lost tents, sleeping bags, clothing and personal items, such as photographs, government identification and personal letters in a seizure.

The Case Western legal clinic got involved with the case when law student Rebecca Sremack, an Akron native, heard reports of homeless people's possessions being destroyed and brought the case to law clinic faculty.

"We are pleased the city was willing to work with us to develop a humane and constitutional policy for homeless campsites," said Sremack in a statement. "The agreement finalized today is a major step forward for homeless rights in the city, and it vindicates the bravery and commitment of our clients."

On any given day, about 850 people are homeless in Summit County, according to Akron's Haven of Rest, which has served poor and homeless residents for about 70 years. In 2015, Haven of Rest provided 300,647 meals and 68,100 nights of lodging to the area's homeless.