During the peak of last fall's pandemic, Philadelphia resident Eboni Ann Jones found herself in a difficult situation. This single mother, who works for Pennsylvania's Medicaid program, learned she needed surgery that would prevent her from working. Facing unexpected medical bills and reduced income, Jones believed her only options were to fall behind on or delay her rent payments.

"It hit me hard," Jones said. "I didn't want to face eviction."

Jones's story was not uncommon during the pandemic. Although specific figures vary, research shows that between 29% and 43% of U.S. renters were at risk of losing their housing during the COVID-19 crisis. Unemployment, illness, and previously unstable living conditions left a large number of renters facing the threat of eviction.

Jones was one of the lucky ones. As a Philadelphia resident, she benefited from a program that brought struggling tenants and landlords together for mediation, part of the city's multi-pronged eviction diversion efforts. Philadelphia's unique approach to eviction diversion provided support to both renters and landlords during the pandemic and its economic challenges.

In non-pandemic years, Philadelphia sees about 20,000 eviction cases annually. "Philadelphia is the largest poor city in America," said City Councilmember Helen Gym, one of the earliest proponents of the program. "When a city handles this many eviction cases, eviction has become a crutch rather than a means of resolving disputes."

Recognizing that the pandemic could lead to a surge in evictions, Gym pushed for the implementation of one of the nation's most aggressive eviction prevention programs in June 2020. The Emergency Housing Protection Act (EHPA) provides renters with multiple protections, including mediation between landlords and tenants, temporary waiver of late fees, and mandatory multi-month repayment agreements. Currently, the mandatory mediation requirement expires on June 30, but Gym's office hopes the requirement will be extended and possibly made permanent.

So far, these protections have shown initial results: Philadelphia's eviction cases dropped to 4,500 in 2020. Gym sees this as the beginning of lasting change. "Our goal is to keep the numbers low," she said. "We believe we can end poverty-based evictions. If we can do it, anyone can."

Although Jones said she hasn't fully paid off her bills yet, the federal rental assistance she received helped her get back on her feet. "After mediation, I received a check covering two months of back rent," she said. "I've been able to cover my expenses. As long as the kids have food, clothes, and basic necessities, I'm okay."

Bringing tenants and landlords to the same table

Alieza Durana, spokesperson for the Princeton Eviction Lab, praised Philadelphia's efforts, saying they help keep renters in their homes.

"Philadelphia now requires all property owners to apply for rental assistance, wait 45 days, and undergo mediation before filing for eviction," she said. "In many other parts of the country, even during a public health and economic crisis, you can still file for eviction, refuse rental assistance, and immediately put someone out on the street. Slowing down the process and providing legal and material assistance is preventing thousands of renters in one of the nation's poorest big cities from facing homelessness."

Philadelphia's efforts combine multiple resources and options, including the federal eviction moratorium, emergency rental assistance, and a continued commitment to mediation.

One of these resources is the Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Program (PEPP), launched in 2017, which provides services such as a tenant hotline, court navigators, tenant rights workshops, and pro bono representation.

Meanwhile, the EHPA's protections include a mandate, in effect until the end of June, requiring landlords to inform tenants about the program's services. During mediation, both parties participate in a conference call with a trained mediator to work together toward a mutually satisfactory solution. If a tenant does not participate in mediation, the landlord can proceed with the eviction process without the moratorium.

Mark Treskon, senior fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., said Philadelphia's program excels on multiple levels. "First, it has many stakeholders involved and committed to getting it up and running," he said. "The city government, courts, and nonprofit organizations work together, sharing resources, data, and outreach. This is a model we've never seen before."

Treskon noted that the diversion program's inclusion of landlords is unique. "It offers landlords the possibility of being rewarded for their efforts, which is crucial to the future success of such programs."

However, not all landlords were initially satisfied with mandatory mediation. HAPCO, a Philadelphia association representing landlords of low- and moderate-income housing, filed a federal lawsuit against EHPA. Ultimately, the judge upheld the city's order, and HAPCO withdrew its lawsuit.

"Mediation is mediation," said Greg Wertman, president of HAPCO. "Small landlords were mediating before it was mandated. We can't afford to go to court and would rather negotiate a resolution with tenants before it gets to that point."

Nevertheless, Wertman would prefer mediation to be voluntary. "If someone damages my housing unit or violates the lease, it's not worth mediating," he said. "But it looks like mandatory mediation is here to stay, so we'll cooperate."

Marie Zinni, a Philadelphia property manager overseeing about 100 properties, believes the program has both pros and cons. "The best part is that it opens up lines of communication between us and tenants," she said. "I've learned that the system works. Of course, we have some reluctant tenants, but most have cooperated with the program."

According to Gym, 70% to 80% of landlord-tenant pairs participating in mediation reach a resolution. "Only about 5% to 6% of landlords ultimately choose eviction," she said. "In other cases, they seek ways to coexist without eviction, and relationships become more amicable."

Zinni said mediation allowed her to see the human element in situations. "Many times, tenants are reluctant to admit they're sick or unemployed," she said. "Listening to their problems and finding ways to help them is great."

However, not everything has gone smoothly. "I'm still waiting for federal funds to cover the rent gap," Zinni said. "Property owners need help now too."

Anabeth Rosado is one of the housing counselors working with tenants and landlords in Philadelphia's mediation process. She initially saw some hesitation from landlords, but that has changed. "Once they see success stories and understand its usefulness, they even encourage other landlords to participate," she said.

From Rosado's perspective, mediation is especially helpful for tenants. "We're able to facilitate solutions that benefit everyone, such as creating budgets for tenants or developing repayment plans to ensure landlords eventually receive payment," she said. "But there's still more work to be done in the future."

An uncertain future

Recently, a federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., ruled the CDC's eviction moratorium unconstitutional, casting doubt on the future of emergency housing laws.

But the Urban Institute's Treskon said that as funding dwindles and moratoriums end, housing advocates will continue to push for long-term solutions. "The pandemic served as a turning point," he said. "Many are calling for better practices and collaborative programs to find solutions that work for everyone."

Treskon predicts these changes will occur at the local level. "If you look across the country, there are huge differences between regions," he said. "For example, in Mississippi, eviction is very easy. In Washington, D.C., tenants have strong protections."

The Eviction Lab's Durana said the organization has also seen many troubling trends nationwide. "Unfortunately, we're receiving reports of tenants getting eviction notices or cases ending in eviction before rental assistance arrives," she said. "For example, in Texas, we're still seeing many eviction cases, and as of last month, only about 250 households out of over 70,000 applicants had received assistance."

Currently, only 15 states have implemented tenant eviction protections, and some of these protections will end this summer. "Now is the time to strengthen, not weaken, the few measures that protect families from ending up on the street or being forced from their homes," Durana said. "When tenants can't pay rent, it has negative downstream effects on property owners."

These shortcomings are something Gym always keeps in mind when discussing the eviction diversion program. She said the program ultimately aims to restore the connection between landlords and tenants, a connection often missing in the era of large corporate landlords.

"Most of these relationships are broken, with a lack of communication between both sides," she said. "At the end of the day, eviction is costly for landlords—they have to pay attorney fees and court costs, then find new tenants. It becomes an economic burden on society. We see the mediation program as a different kind of investment, one with healthier outcomes for everyone."

Meanwhile, for tenants like Jones, the mediation program has played a practical role in navigating a challenging year.

"At first, I didn't believe the program was real," she said. "If no one had contacted me, I wouldn't have known it existed. This experience was a lifeline for me."

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the expiration date of the mandatory mediation requirement in Philadelphia's eviction diversion program. The correct date is June 30.