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District Court urges council to restore full-time eviction diversion position as grant ends
Summary
District Court Administrator Anithia Brewer told the Committee the court's eviction diversion program, recognized nationally, is losing external grant support and the court's request for a full-time facilitator position was denied in the proposed budget; Brewer urged council to reconsider to sustain the program.
District Court Administrator Anithia Brewer told the Lansing City Committee of the Whole on May 5 that the court's eviction diversion program — developed with support from the National Center for State Courts — has helped thousands of households and needs continued local funding now that the grant is ending.
Brewer said the program has been highly active: “To date, he has worked directly with 19 61 families. Currently over 1,300 households are receiving proactive email campaigns,” and she described the program as a national model that has been replicated elsewhere. She said the court requested that a facilitator position be made full time in the upcoming budget but that request was denied.
Why it matters: The court said its eviction diversion program provided direct assistance and referrals — including connections to the Financial Empowerment Center — that helped people avoid eviction and access services. Brewer said the program’s facilitator has engaged with thousands of families and presented the model nationally.
Other budget and operations notes: Brewer said the court's overall budget is “status quo” and that personnel costs are the primary driver of any changes. The court also reported 883 calls routed via 3‑1‑1 for calendar year 2024, and that the court is planning a firearms-relinquishment grant and continuing work on an upgraded case-management and public MyFile terminal for civil filings.
No formal funding decision for the eviction diversion role was made during the Committee of the Whole meeting; Brewer asked councilors to place the request on a critical-needs agenda for reconsideration.
Ending: Brewer said she would return with more detail if the council places the position on a critical-needs agenda and noted ongoing planning for a future justice complex.
