Eviction mediation study: KITV4 talks with Kenna StormoGipson with Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice

KITV: At the beginning of the pandemic, remember how Governor David Ige issued a moratorium on evictions for those who didn’t pay their rent. Well, there was also a landlord-tenant mediation program through Act 57 (2021). Local nonprofit Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice just released the results of its study that look at whether that Act 57 mediation program worked.

And joining us now is Kenna StormoGipson with Hawaiʻi Appleseed; thank you so much for being here with us.

Kenna StormoGipson (KS): Thank you so much for having me.

KITV: So please explain: what were the results of this study that you folks looked into.

KS: Well it’s good news; and I know when it comes to housing, it’s such an important issue and it’s great to see something positive and optimistic. And what it showed was that this innovative program, which helped tenants mediate before court—so before they ever stepped into a courtroom; before there was any paperwork for eviction—they got the opportunity to mediate. And 85 percent of those folks who took advantage of this stayed in their homes. Previously, the numbers were about 20 percent. So to go from 20 percent of people to 85 percent, this helped over 1,500 residents stay housed when they needed the help, as opposed to having to move into their cars, or leave out of state or move in with family. To see this program, which is really a leader nationwide—not too many other states were this innovative at catching people early. And that was that key part of this program—catch them early, get them before court, get them with a professional, paid mediator, and 85 percent of people stayed in their homes.

KITV: And so, as far as the mediation, I mean, it was pretty much—you know how couples go to mediation, and then you kind of talk it out—is that what happened?

KS: Yeah, so they actually had professional mediators that would reach out ahead of time, help people get comfortable, listen to both sides of the story, and give them the full time—maybe an hour-and-a-half; 2 hours—to really do it before there are any lawyers involved. And that was so key, because by the time you have lawyers and a courtroom, tensions are high and it’s just hard to make it work.

KITV: Things can get messy, right? Alright, so what do you hope to see happen with the results of this study?

KS: Well, we hope that we can learn these lessons and make it more permanent, not just a temporary, COVID thing. Because we all know, even without COVID, people suddenly have a car to fix that they weren’t planning on, or a medical bill or all kinds of things can happen that might make it hard to pay rent for a few months.

KITV: And last question: do you think that it’s worth the money for this program?

KS: Absolutely: $500 for a professional, well-done mediation, versus thousands of dollars in court fees, let alone all the money we pay when someone has to move out—well worth the money.