On April 13, 2021, The Pittsburgh Foundation released a report on evictions data from 2012-2019. They highlight the need for a county-wide program to help prevent evictions and provide support for tenants and landlords, and they mention Just Mediation Pittsburgh as one possible piece of that initiative.
Every year, there are over 13,000 eviction filings in Allegheny County. The majority of these cases are against tenants who pay less than $500 per month in rent. Evictions stay on tenant's records, and can make it harder for people to find housing in the future.
To prevent some of the negative impacts of mediation on both landlords and tenants, The Pittsburgh Foundation makes a series of recommendations, including:
Expanded rental assistance opportunities.
Landlord-Tenant mediation to resolve disputes before going to court.
Changing court costs by either lowering or eliminating the court fees.
Increasing the amount of affordable housing and improving existing affordable units.
Restricting landlords' ability to waive the 10 day notice to quit in leases.
Expungement of cases that did not result in eviction
Evictions hurt both landlords and tenants, but the impacts on tenants can be much longer-lasting and harmful. An eviction prevention coalition could help reduce the negative impacts of eviction that tenants face!
Read the Public Source article here.
Read the full report from the Pittsburgh Foundation here.