The MA Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced the launch of another component of the Administration’s Eviction Diversion Initiative: Community Mediation. Please see this announcement from DHCD Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox below:
Community Mediation is a new tool for tenants and landlords to prevent evictions, and we want all of our local service providers to understand how to refer households. Mediation can be used in coordination with short-term rental assistance such as RAFT, ERMA or local sources of financial aid, but it is not necessary to apply for RAFT or ERMA in order to participate. Tenants and landlords can use mediation to resolve their problems without any court filing, or through court referral.
Twelve mediation centers across the state are now ready to begin working with tenants and landlords. Landlords and tenants can work with a case coordinator to schedule mediation, which can benefit both parties. More information can be found here on our website along with frequently asked questions. You can also learn more about mediation centers at https://www.resolutionma.org/.
In addition, DHCD has published training materials on mediation, and other EDI resources, online, with recorded video trainings and PDFs of training materials available here for our service organizations. We encourage you to share these trainings with your staff, so you can learn how your organization can engage with our Eviction Diversion Initiative.
Connecting tenants to resources is vital in our effort to keep families stable during this uncertain time. We appreciate your partnership and continued support to pursue this shared goal.
