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Mediation group urges council to mandate pre-filing eviction mediation; cites local pilot results
Summary
Resolve Restorative Practices told Metro Council the group's pre-filing eviction mediation pilot reduced formal evictions, produced hundreds of mediation agreements and enjoyed high participant satisfaction; the presenters asked council to mandate mediation before an eviction filing under statutes and an existing ordinance they cited.
Speakers for Resolve Restorative Practices urged Metro Council on Jan. 30 to require mediation before landlords file evictions, saying the approach preserves housing, saves court time and produces legally binding repayment agreements.
Shannon Floyd, principal mediator with Resolve, told the council the program launched in spring 2023 in partnership with the Office of Housing and Community Development. Floyd gave the program’s results for April 2023–March 2024: Resolve processed 836 requests for mediation, said Floyd; the program was budgeted to process far fewer cases, and a subset of requests were deemed eligible for the eviction-prevention program. Floyd said 306 mediation settlement agreements were signed and that fewer than 3% of those agreements resulted in expedited eviction. Floyd also said 92% of landlords, property managers and tenants who responded to follow-up surveys recommended mediation as an appropriate way to resolve disputes.
Courtney Sharif, Resolve’s executive administrator, urged the council to adopt pre-filing mediation because it expands options — partial debt forgiveness, payment plans or connections to rental-assistance resources — and reduces homelessness risk. Ebony Dixon, a Resolve mediator, closed the group’s remarks and asked the council to support a mandate for mediation prior to eviction filing.
Authorities cited by the presenters included a statute referenced in their remarks as “Uralter statute 383.525, settlement of dispute claim or rights” and “Ordinance number 52, series 2001” (a local ordinance they said relates to access to legal services under contracts with designated organizations). Resolve requested council support to make mediation mandatory before an eviction filing and offered to meet with council committees for further discussion.
Context and caveats: The presenters characterized the mediation program as a cost-effective alternative to eviction court that benefits both tenants and landlords and reduces court dockets. They offered examples from research and from a cited national program (Kalamazoo, Mich.) where eviction-diversion efforts reportedly reduced eviction filings and homelessness in early years. The speakers requested formal council support; no ordinance or motion to require mandated pre-filing mediation was introduced during the meeting.
Clarifying numbers presented (as stated by speakers): processed requests: 836 (April 2023–March 2024); mediation settlement agreements signed: 306; percentage of agreements that resulted in expedited eviction: less than 3%; program recommenders among respondents: 92%. Program capacity/budget note: presenters said the program had been charged to process up to about 180 cases (figure referenced by speaker).
