AHandUp.org  voir UnCoupdeMain.org

Across the country, eviction dockets tend to have low appearance rates, and in many jurisdictions fewer than half of tenants appear to court. Boosting appearance rates is crucial to the success of any diversion program; program resources cannot work if litigants cannot access them. Courts should use every existing touchpoint with litigants as an opportunity to inform and encourage participation in a diversion program, in addition to looking for new opportunities to reach both landlords and tenants earlier in the process.

One of the most popular types of eviction prevention efforts are Eviction Diversion Programs. This model involves incentivizing tenants and landlords to enter a mediation program to come to a mutually acceptable agreement outside of court.

The gold standard eviction diversion program will build in multiple entry points both before and after filing, creating the maximum number of opportunities for landlords and tenants to engage with the program prior to their court hearing. There are many benefits to resolving a housing dispute before the case is filed; however, with a multiphase program, even if a landlord and tenant are unable to access program resources or to resolve their dispute before filing, they still have opportunities to use program resources as the case moves forward.