Partnering to Address Eviction Case Backlog

By Justin Lyons, CRC Member

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Relations Dispute Settlement Program (DSP) has partnered with the Clerk of Superior Court, District Court Judges, Legal Aid, Crisis Assistance Ministry and the Charlotte Housing Partnership to help address the backlog of eviction cases due to COVID-19. DSP is assisting by pursuing resolution through the mediation process. The hope is that bringing the parties together to discuss their concerns and having them develop options for mutually agreeable terms will help keep tenants in their homes and landlords with payment options.

DSP maintains a pool of seasoned mediators who are eager to assist the families in our community and have been involved in this effort. DSP has set up a signup process for mediators that has 60 slots per day for mediation opportunities yielding a potential of 300 cases that can be mediated per week. Due to the social distancing restrictions, mediation training sessions have been offered via virtual platforms and Legal Aid has provided training on the CARES Act.

To share information about DSP more broadly, informational materials have been sent with 1,800 court notifications mailed by the Clerk’s office. Additionally, this information has been emailed to Social Serve, Heal Charlotte, Enlace, Magistrates Office and the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association among others. For more information on services, becoming a volunteer mediator or to download the flyer that was distributed by the Clerk’s Office, visit the Community Relations DSP webpage.