A new statewide diversion program will help tenants and landlords with receiving rental assistance funds pre-eviction when it launches next month.
The Indiana Supreme Court announced the pre-eviction diversion program on Friday, following a recommendation from the Indiana Eviction Task Force. The program will be implemented through statewide orders for trial courts, and will launch on Nov. 1, according to a Supreme Court news release.
The goal of implementing the program is to foster economic and housing stability for tenants and landlords, and create a better outcome for everyone, including communities, the news release said.
The eviction task force was created by the Supreme Court in September, for the purpose of providing a report with recommendations on implementing a statewide pre-eviction program to enable faster distribution of rental assistance to tenants and landlords, according to the news release.
The task force modeled Indiana’s program after similar programs in Michigan and Texas, according to an interim report released on Monday.
The report found that more than 36,000 eviction cases had been filed statewide from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30. In September alone, 5,135 cases were filed statewide, according to the report.
Johnson County had the 10th highest number of eviction cases filed between those dates, the report said.
The program will require local courts to inform all parties involved in eviction cases about the availability of pre-eviction resources, including rental assistance or an eviction settlement program between both tenants and landlords, according to court documents.
Landlords and tenants in need of assistance are encouraged to visit courts.in.gov/housing to learn more about available rental assistance programs, including covering some or all back rent for eligible tenants, free settlement conferences to discuss specific situations with help from a neutral facilitator and potential resources for legal assistance, the news release said.
Indiana’s Emergency Rental Assistance program has helped more than 500 Johnson County households with utility and rental assistance, providing more than $7 million as of Oct. 18. Nearly 500 more applications have been submitted and are in progress locally, according to state documents.
Funding for the program comes from nearly $372 million in federal funds given to the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority to help support Indiana households financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, state documents show.
The program will launch Nov. 1.
