Eviction Prevention Resource Library

Local community leaders can impact community stability, homelessness, and racial equity by replicating proven models to resolve landlord-tenant conflicts outside of going to court and eviction.

Community and neighborhood stability, homelessness, and poorer outcomes for black and brown households remain persistent challenges all across Pennsylvania. However, eviction prevention could address these challenges.

Here are some of the many reasons to make eviction prevention a priority.

1. Eviction is a significant factor contributing to student mobility – when kids have to move schools too often. Frequent student transfers, often associated with eviction-induced residential instability, can significantly impact academic performance.

– The Impact of Evictions on School Stability – NEW!

2. Black women are evicted at twice the rate as any other group. Here in PA, the highest eviction filings tend to be concentrated in the neighborhoods with the highest percentages of renters of color.

– Eviction Disparities in Communites of Color – NEW!
3. Eviction is one of the most common pathways to homelessness. More than 1/3 of people experiencing homelessness report eviction as a cause of housing instability.

– Evictions: A Precursor to Homelessness– NEW!

Local community leaders can replicate proven models to benefit both tenants and landlords by avoiding court and resolving the conflict without eviction.

1. Find out more about successful program models

The Housing Alliance analyzed court outcomes in courts where eviction diversion programs were operated by the Friends Association in Chester County and a volunteer attorney with Mid-Penn Legal Services in the City of Reading.

– How do these programs work?
– Eviction Diversion Results
– Partnering with the Courts: Eviction Prevention in the City of Reading, Berks County
– Partnering with the Courts: Eviction Prevention Court in Chester County
– What do tenants say about the programs?
– Longer Report – Addressing the Eviction Crisis: An Evaluation of Two Court-Based Eviction Diversion Programs in Pennsylvania

Many have instituted or are exploring the option of landlord- tenant mediation prior to or after an eviction filing to attempt to negotiate a resolution without court involvement.

– Building Blocks of Landlord-Tenant Mediation: A Toolkit for Developing a Local Program
– Landlord Tenant Mediation in Pennsylvania 

2. Hear about how to bring partners to the table including landlords and judges

– COMING SOON!

3. While you do not need to be an expert on the court process, it helps to know the basics

– How an Eviction Case Proceeds Through the PA Courts
– Eviction Process Map

4. Here’s what we know about evictions statewide

– Revealing Opportunities and Challenges: An Analysis of Eviction Filings in Pennsylvania | Executive Summary | Interactive Web Report

And from the archives, check out our virtual form in the earlier stages of the pandemic outlining strategies that make up a comprehensive eviction prevention strategy.

– Creating a Statewide Eviction Prevention Strategy: A Virtual Forum