{"id":20117,"date":"2022-11-16T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=20117"},"modified":"2022-11-16T09:01:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T14:01:07","slug":"acclaimed-eviction-diversion-program-extended-through-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/acclaimed-eviction-diversion-program-extended-through-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Acclaimed Eviction Diversion Program Extended Through 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Residents of Philadelphia will still be able to take advantage of the city\u2019s nationally recognized Eviction Diversion Program.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the legislation still has to be signed by Philly Mayor Jim Kenney, the city council\u00a0<\/span>voted<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on Oct. 13 to extend the effort through July of 2024. It was initially set to expire at the end of 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

Created in September 2020 as a temporary way to address the economic crisis created by the pandemic, Philadelphia\u2019s program was enshrined in law in January 2022.\u00a0<\/span>Philadelphia Code 9-811<\/span><\/a>\u00a0requires landlords to participate in good faith in the program before they can file an eviction case against their tenant in court. They have 30 days to settle with the aid of a trained mediator.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the program\u2019s creation, more than 3,000 landlord-tenant pairs have participated, and the vast majority\u2014over 80 percent\u2014were resolved outside of court.<\/h4>\n

Philadelphia\u2019s program is one of\u00a0<\/span>46 eviction diversion efforts<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in 29 states across the U.S. Such programs allow landlords and tenants access to various services in the hopes of avoiding a formal order of eviction<\/a>. Eviction diversion programs serve all parties, according to a\u00a0<\/span>fact sheet<\/span><\/a>\u00a0from the Network for Public Health Law.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese programs are premised on the idea that early intervention can effectively meet the needs of all parties: \u2018the landlord gets paid, the tenant gets housing, and public health gets protected,\u2019\u201d the fact sheet notes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eviction is devastating for tenants, often preventing them from finding housing in the future and acting as \u201ca cause, not just a condition, of poverty.\u201d Still, those who receive some early assistance\u2014anywhere from 67 to 90 percent\u2014can avoid eviction. Meanwhile, landlords can be spared court and legal fees, unit cleanup and inspections, advertising and turnover, the various costs of vetting a new tenant, and the loss of income from rental properties associated with eviction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome estimates place the sum of these expenses at upwards of $10,000,\u201d the fact sheet points out. \u201c\u2026 the average tenant facing eviction is only $1,000 to $2,000 behind on rent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Trained Mediators Work with Parties to Reach an Agreement that Works for Everyone<\/h3>\n

While it includes other elements, including rental assistance and tenant education, the main focus of Philadelphia\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Eviction Diversion Program<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is mediation. The service is free for all residential tenants and landlords. In fact, it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>required of all landlords<\/span><\/a>\u00a0before they file an eviction proceeding in court.<\/span><\/p>\n

The process is as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

Landlords must provide tenants with the\u00a0<\/span>Notice of Rights<\/span><\/a>. They then have to apply for Eviction Diversion through the city\u2019s website. At this point, tenants cannot apply for eviction diversion. Once the application is approved, the city will assign the landlord-tenant pair to an appropriate pathway, depending on the amount of back rent and fees owed, as well as other factors. A tenant may be assigned a housing counselor, a mediation session, or additional resources such as a webinar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mediators are trained by CORA Good Shepherd Mediation Program. The parties (and their attorneys, if they have them) join mediators in a conference call for a one-hour session. The parties discuss rent, utility payments, repairs, lease terms, and any other matters of dispute.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes the conflict is resolved at the first session, but sometimes a second call is needed. If an agreement is reached, the mediator records the stipulations. Both the landlord and tenant verbally sign the agreement, and copies are provided to all parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

If a good faith effort is made to reach a reasonable solution, but they can\u2019t come to an agreement, the mediator will send out an email documenting that no agreement was reached. In this case, the eviction may proceed to court.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tenants also have access to a variety of resources.<\/h4>\n

Once a tenant has received the Notice of Rights, they\u2019re encouraged to call a tenant hotline and visit a\u00a0<\/span>tenant website<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that provides information on how to proceed. The program\u2019s website also includes information about emergency tenant protections, legal aid for low-income tenants, domestic violence resources, and interpretation services.<\/span><\/p>\n

Philadelphia has seen incredible success with the program, according to an\u00a0<\/span>editorial<\/span><\/a>\u00a0by the\u00a0<\/span>Philadelphia Inquirer<\/span><\/em>\u00a0in August of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot that long ago,\u00a0<\/span>Philadelphia had the fourth highest<\/span><\/a>\u00a0number of evictions of any city in the country,\u201d the editorial board wrote. \u201cSince the beginning of the pandemic, fewer evictions were filed in<\/span>\u00a0Philly than in at least 18 other cities<\/span><\/a>. It is possible to make this the new normal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Options for Eviction Diversion Include Tenant Education, Rental Assistance<\/h3>\n

While mediation has been highly successful in Philadelphia, it\u2019s not the only option. It\u2019s already been demonstrated that\u00a0<\/span>educated tenants<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are less likely to be evicted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some eviction diversion programs seek to provide tenants with a better understanding of how the eviction process works with training on renter rights and responsibilities, legal counsel, social services, and tenant handbooks, among other tools. Other jurisdictions have also created collaborative housing courts that incorporate social services and education into the court process and allow courts the discretion to control the pace of an eviction case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another option is providing direct rental assistance. Philadelphia\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>rental assistance program<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has already distributed $300 million to 46,000 households in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2022 budget includes $30 million for direct assistance. Direct payments to youth have proven successful in\u00a0<\/span>Washington state<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and New York City. And on average, tenants facing evictions are just $1,000 to $2,000 behind in rent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA small subsidy can be enough to sustain most tenants and avoid the worst health and economic impacts of eviction,\u201d the Network for Public Health Law fact sheet asserts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The trouble with rental assistance programs is that too many people need assistance from programs that are poorly funded, to begin with, in part because of political opposition.<\/h4>\n

\u201cDue to a lack of public funding, the Eviction Diversion Program established in Durham County, North Carolina, was only able to reach about 50 of 900 tenants who faced eviction each month during its pilot year,\u201d the Network for Public Health Law cited.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there are well-funded programs like\u00a0<\/span>HomeStart<\/span><\/a>, which partnered with the city of Boston starting in 2010. Ninety-five percent of clients remain safe from eviction for non-payment four years after the original filing, thanks to HomeStart\u2019s assistance. The program prevents more than 400 evictions a year.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Housing and Urban Development\u2019s Office of Policy Development and Research, while it\u2019s best to utilize a combination of these efforts to address the eviction crisis, any of them will still help.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough comprehensive programs offer the greatest benefits, programs more limited in scope that focuses on a single intervention\u2026 still benefit tenants, landlords, and courts more than a reliance on formal eviction proceedings would,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>wrote Melissa Hammer and Sean Martin<\/span><\/a>. \u201cTenants can remain in their homes, ensuring their housing security and reducing potential stress on the social safety net that displacement might cause. These programs benefit landlords who receive payment for past-due rent while avoiding costs associated with eviction proceedings and finding new tenants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Residents of Philadelphia will still be able to take advantage of the city\u2019s nationally recognized Eviction Diversion Program. While the legislation still has to be signed by Philly Mayor Jim Kenney, the city council\u00a0voted\u00a0on Oct. 13 to extend the effort … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":20118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[716,456],"tags":[769,17251,10800,253,832,515,1196,508,15070,717,14668],"coauthors":[16041],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20117"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20117"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21570,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20117\/revisions\/21570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20117"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=20117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}