18th Judicial Circuit Court (DuPage County) Eviction Mediation Program

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The Program is designed to help mitigate the surge of evictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ensuing economic fallout. Its goal is to assist tenants and landlords in avoiding eviction and pursuing mutually beneficial alternatives. The Program provides tenants and landlords with referrals to community resources such as rental assistance programs, housing sufficiency programs, free or affordable legal assistance and mediation services. The mediation component of the Program provides the parties to an eviction case with a confidential process whereby a neutral mediator, appointed by the Court, assists the litigants in reaching a mutually acceptable agreement. Case Managers from DuPage County Community Services have been assigned to the eviction courtroom to be an on-the-spot resource for tenants and landlords interested in rental and housing assistance. Pro Bono Attorneys from Prairie State Legal Services are present to meet with qualifying tenants in need of legal advice. The Program has provided mediation for 505 cases with a 70.8% success rate. DuPage County leads the state (outside of Cook County) in the number of Court Based Rental Assistance Applications with 862 approved applications and $8,859,706 funds dispersed. Further, Prairie State Legal Services have served 1,018 clients since the Program began.