A climate change success story? Look at Hoboken

Revisit

Evictions

In July, I wrote a story for Headway about how Philadelphia tried to reduce evictions by requiring landlords to attend mediations with tenants before courts get involved. Researchers there recently published the first comprehensive look in this effort, the city's eviction program.

The program started in 2020, but changed several times, making it a bit difficult to measure. The Reinvestment Fund, a nonprofit focused on communities underserved by financial institutions, examined 11,509 diversion cases and found that landlords and tenants who went to mediation were more likely to reach an agreement than if they did not . And when they reached an agreement, tenants were less likely to get an eviction in court. That, the report said “made a positive difference in tenants' filing experience.”

The researchers noted that evictions spiked in 2022, meaning a much smaller percentage of cases could be resolved through mediation. They also left an important question unanswered: What benefits does distraction provide compared to other housing interventions?

We also heard from a number of readers, including some from Philadelphia, who praised the diversion program as a step in the right direction, even though it wasn't perfect and didn't address bigger issues, like the rising cost of housing.

–Aidan Gardiner

The approach is commendable. As a landlord in Philadelphia, my goal is to collect rent that covers my expenses and produces a modest profit. I never want to voluntarily evict a tenant. However, many stories about landlord-tenant relationships often endorse the tenant perspective, without going into detail about what landlords—particularly mom-and-pop landlords—are going through.

Name withheld, Philadelphia

[While living in Delaware,] I was evicted because I owed $623.00. My monthly rent was $599.00. Eviction is a path to homelessness. It's that simple.

DeBorah Gilbert White, Ph.D., Washington, DC

I've been trying to find jobs that I'm qualified for after working for three years right out of college. So many jobs that interest me or that I am qualified for pay so little, but also when I look at rent prices, it seems almost impossible to live somewhere if you only make minimum wage or slightly above.

Karlee Bradlee, Phoenix

Links we liked

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In 2022, Lucy Tompkins reported for Headway on the prospect of states using some of their Medicaid funding to cover housing for people with significant health needs who are homeless. Now Katia Riddle reports for NPR, Oregon and California are among the states put this idea into practice.
These have been Ministry of Defense schools for years held up for their striking results in the assessment of student learning. As Sarah Mervosh reports for the Times, these schools have managed to build on this record, even during the pandemic.

Your turn

We would love to hear from you. Where have you seen progress in your own community? Where do you see no progress, but would you like to? What links do you recommend to the Headway team? Let us know at Dearheadway@nytimes.com.