Addressing the Eviction Crisis: 
An Evaluation of Two Court-Based Eviction Diversion Programs in Pennsylvania 

In the this report, we examined the impact of two eviction diversion programs in the state: Eviction Prevention Court in Chester County, and the eviction diversion program in the Berks County city of Reading. From our analysis of court records, as well as in-depth conversations with eviction judges and nine program participants, we were able to study how these eviction diversion programs were able to intervene in eviction cases and foster housing stability.

MAIN FINDINGS
• Both of the eviction diversion programs provided and coordinated a set of services to better address a range of needs, combining outreach to tenants and landlords, rental assistance, legal assistance, and close coordination of these and other services.
• Landlords were more likely to voluntarily withdraw cases, and settlements between landlords and tenants became more common after the diversion programs started.
• The tenants we interviewed praised the diversion programs and credited them with helping to keep their homes and find (or keep) employment.
• The judges whose courts participated in the programs described the programs as winwins, helping both landlords and tenants.
• More tenants were able to avoid judgments against them, and eviction orders became less common after the eviction diversion programs came into effect.