Last spring, Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program, a nationally recognized initiative created during the pandemic to resolve landlord-tenant issues outside court, became permanent. Landlords are required to participate in the program, which includes an opportunity for financial assistance, and to negotiate with tenants before filing for evictions in court. The program is meant to help renters stay in their homes and avoid eviction filings, which can prevent them from securing future housing no matter a case’s outcome. The number of eviction filings in Philadelphia has dropped as a result. As of Feb. 1, landlords had filed for roughly 13,200 evictions in the past year — down 37% compared with a typical year before the pandemic, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Of the 34 cities and 10 states tracked by the Eviction Lab, Philadelphia is tied as having the second-lowest eviction filing rate per 100 renter households over the past 12 months — 4%, as of Feb. 1. Read more here.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 2/18/2025