Eviction Diversion in Philadelphia: Evaluation of Efforts to Reduce Eviction Filings in Two Program Phases

The purpose of the pre-filing Eviction Diversion Program (EDP) in Philadelphia is to prevent and reduce eviction filings in Municipal Court in light of research showing that the fact of a filing, regardless of the final court outcome, can negatively affect a household’s future housing stability and ability to obtain housing. This brief presents an evaluation of EDP during two discreet phases: from April 2021 through December 2021 (“Phase 2”), when landlords were mandated to apply for EDP and rental assistance before filing for eviction; and from March 2022 to September 2022 (“Phase 3”), after the closure of rental assistance applications and after implementation partners created two tracks for cases based generally on the amount of money sought by the landlord in the filing.

The core research question driving this analysis was whether eviction diversion activities reduced or prevented filings in Municipal Court. To answer this question, we compared court filing rates within six months of EDP enrollment for cases that did and not participate in EDP mediation, and cases that did and did not reach a pre-filing agreement. For the Phase 2 cohort we also compared outcomes for tenants who did and did not receive rental assistance and for the Phase 3 cohort. We also compared outcomes for cases with up to and more than $3,000 at stake.

Our key findings include:

• Although there were many differences between the circumstances surrounding EDP cases in Phase 2 and Phase 3 and in their outcomes, in both phases recording an agreement was associated with notably lower eviction filing rates than cases in which no agreement was achieved.
• Cases were much more likely to record an agreement if there was at least one mediation session and cases with agreements generally had lower filing rates.
• Receipt of rental assistance in Phase 2 and the amount of back rent in Phase 3 appeared to be important factors in whether an EDP case experienced a subsequent eviction filing, regardless of participation in mediation or reaching an agreement.
• EDP enrollments and eviction filing rates both increased from Phase 2 to Phase 3, likely due in part to limits on court filings still in place during Phase 2 and various pandemic-era resources. As volume grew, the share of cases receiving mediation and reaching an agreement dropped.
• Scaling up EDP proved challenging given the time constraints, the multiple caseload priorities facing housing counseling agencies, and the reliance on volunteer mediators.