Johnson County Offers Mediation Amid Historic Spike In Evictions

The cost of living is moving beyond the capability of many Americans . . . Here's a glimpse at the worsening situation . . .

The latest data from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, released in January, found that a record high 22.4 million renter households – or half of renters nationwide – were spending more than 30% of their income on rent in 2022. The number of affordable units – with rents under $600 – also dropped to 7.2 million that year, 2.1 million fewer than a decade earlier.

Those factors contributed to a dramatic rise in eviction filings and a record number of people becoming homeless.

Locally . . . Even in one of the most affluent local suburbs . . . Here's an effort to find solutions:

The way the program works is if a tenant has an eviction filed against them, they’re given the option to deny these claims and work with a mediator to decide on an agreement, which is usually a payment arrangement. He says it’s not only saving tenants’ homes, but also potentially saving lives.

“Whenever I have the opportunity to not put law enforcement in a scenario where they’re having to guess and anticipate, we don’t know who’s on the other side of that door, that helps everyone.”

Unexpected job loss, medical expenses, and life circumstances are some of the most common reasons people in Johnson County are getting evicted.

“It’s not people that are habitual abusers of the system. Most people that go through the program successfully complete their end of the bargain and the case against them gets dismissed . . ."

Since the program’s launch this past fall, 150 eviction cases have been filed. There were 70 percent of people who participated in the program who had their case dismissed.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Johnson County eviction meditation program sees success

As a nationwide affordable housing crisis continues, Johnson County has a new program in place that's already shown success in addressing it. The county's eviction mediation program presents tenants with an option to settle their case through an agreement.