In Philadelphia, where an Eviction Diversion Program brings tenants and landlords together through mediation, evictions have dropped to less than 7,000 in 2021 from 20,000 annually before the pandemic, 85% of cases avoid eviction court, and wait times for hearings have been cut by two-thirds. In the summer of 2020, city council created the Emergency Housing Protection Act, which required landlords to pursue mediation in cases where the potential eviction resulted from Covid-related financial hardship. Federal funding from multiple rounds of Covid relief helped pay for the program, and the nonprofit CORA Services oversaw mediation, using dozens of volunteer mediators. The City also tapped housing counseling agencies to work with tenants, facilitated weekly meetings between all agencies involved in the program and ultimately created an online portal where landlords could seek a diversion.

Read Full Story


More: