Eviction Innovation
The Delaware Supreme Court established a new policy that allows non-lawyers — in this case, approved Qualified Tenant Advocates — to represent tenants in eviction court. This is…
The Nevada State Bar has established an Eviction Mediation Program to get more free mediators available to landlords and tenants who are facing problems. The program provides extensive training, resources, and support to volunteers working to resolve people’s cases.
Texas groups have set up an eviction Court Watch program, to track how eviction laws are actually being carried out on the ground.
The city of Portland, Oregon has a rental registry that tracks where rental homes are, that collects $60 fees from landlords, and that maps out strategic data to improve government services and legal protections.
Ohio cities like Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati have passed new laws to give tenants a new affirmative defense if they are sued for eviction. This new protection is often called Pay to Stay, because it lets tenants pay back the rent and fees they owe to their landlord in order to stay in their home.
In Philadelphia, the housing team has used federal funds to build a smarter, more flexible technical system to improve their ERAP applications.
The Housing & Eviction Prevention Project (HEPP) in Indiana provides free legal, mediation, and social services to court. It includes integration into the court process, so once people are facing an eviction trial, they may be linked to services that can help them resolve their problem out of court.
The Michigan state courts have created new court rules that help to slow down eviction cases, direct more landlords and tenants to rent assistance, and encourage the court to help the parties to resolve their dispute without going to trial.
The city of Tulsa has begun a Gold Star Landlord program to incentivize landlords engage in best practices for housing and addressing the eviction crisis. It gives them publicity, approved tenants, and assistance from the city.
The program provides housing assistance and education to low-income community members. Services include: mediation, education and legal advice.