Lawrence Township Small Claims Court receives grant to strengthen eviction diversion
by Alex Slabosky
The Lawrence Township Small Claims Court is the recipient of a two-year, $492,399 grant to strengthen eviction diversion efforts. Another Indiana court, The Allen County Superior Court in Fort Wayne received $164,040. Courts in seven other states and the District of Columbia also received funding. The grants are a part of the National Center for State Court’s Eviction Diversion Initiative and were funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation. The NCSC’s Eviction Diversion Initiative Advisory Council selected the courts through a competitive application process.
According to the NCSC, “Each court will use grant funding to hire dedicated court staff and will benefit from technical assistance and support from NCSC to transform their eviction courts into problem-solving courts that emphasize holistic, sustainable, and community-driven resolutions to housing problems.”
In a news release Lawrence Township Judge Kimberly Bacon said, “Developing a dedicated Eviction Diversion Initiative evolved out of necessity, resulting from long time eviction challenges,” She explained, “The loss of shelter impacts every other aspect of one’s life. The Eviction Diversion Initiative will be beneficial to both tenants and landlords in many creative ways, providing real solutions to eviction challenges.”
Courts receiving grants will benefit from on-going peer learning opportunities, will participate in a national evaluation, and will receive intensive technical assistance from NCSC.
