A new round of incentives for landlords aimed at preventing homelessness and evictions won approval Thursday from the Johnson County Commission.
Commissioners voted to expand pilot programs on eviction mediation and housing choice vouchers — both programs that have seen success in getting low-income renters into stable housing.
The commission voted to add $500,000 to the eviction mediation project. But this time, the money will go to direct aid to tenants in arrears rather than mediators.
County courts started new eviction mediation program
Eviction mediation began in September in district court and will run through December of this year.
Commissioners last year authorized $146,000 to pay court-certified mediators $250 for each Friday eviction court trial date.
The mediators work as third-party negotiators between landlords and tenants, with the goal of finding an arrangement that will avoid an eviction judgment.
Such judgments stay on personal records for years, making it very difficult for renters, once evicted, to find another place to live. Often the arrangement involves giving the tenant more time to come up with the money or leave the property voluntarily.
So far it has been successful, with 84% of the 95 mediated cases avoiding a judgment and the tenant successfully completing the plan.
$500K to support tenants past due on rent
The money authorized Thursday would go toward past-due rent amounts and be paid directly to landlords who reach mediated agreements. The payments are intended to give tenants more time to pay the back rent or find other housing.
Court administrator Laura Brewer described it as another tool in the mediators’ toolbox that would help landlords be more open to mediation.
Most tenants in eviction court owe between $2,500 and $3,500 in back rent and fees are tacked on as well, she told commissioners during a review meeting last week.
The new funding comes with some rules. Each case would be eligible for a maximum $3,500 with no further money if the tenant gets behind again.
Brewer said the court anticipates an average payment of no more than $2,500, with the ability to serve 140 to 200 cases.
Landlords would in return agree to waive additional fees and give the tenant a minimum of 30 days on the property.
How is the county paying for it?
The money comes from interest on federal COVID-19 relief funds that must be spent by the end of this year. Brewer told the commission it will be the only ask from court officials for direct renter assistance.
Once the pilot project has enough data to prove the concept, there’s a possibility of getting another community partner to supply rental assistance money, she said.
The landlord incentive program began in June with a $200,000 fund to pay landlords worried about property damage or lost rent to accept renters who have federally funded housing vouchers.
Commissioners deemed the program necessary because many people eligible to use those vouchers could not find a landlord who accepted them. The county had lost 2,840 units between 2019 and 2022 that had been previously available under the voucher program.
Given rent increases and the fact that 80% of Johnson County voucher users are elderly or disabled and on fixed income, the incentives were seen as a way to address that problem. County staff say 60% of vouchers expire because they go unused.
The first part of the pilot resulted in recruitment of 23 new landlords, six landlords who had dropped out of the program and eight who continued. That comes to 83 families in housing, including 216 adults and 121 children.
With the new round of funding, housing officials hope to draw in 25 new landlords to the voucher program, for 50-75 units, said Jessa Molina, landlord recruiter for the county housing services department.
The pilot program has so far been able to raise voucher use slightly, to 88% of what the federal government offers. To reach the 99% usage standard of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the county would need to attract 30 to 34 new landlords, she said.
The money for the landlord incentive program also comes from COVID-19 relief funds.
Feedback from county commissioners was mixed
Some commissioners said they disliked the idea of using one-time funding for what could be ongoing programs.
“I’m just concerned we’ve done this over and over and over and this is how we balloon our budget out of control,” said Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara.
Other commissioners, however, said pilot projects are not ongoing until they make the decision to extend them.
Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick said aid to renters moves them toward independence and offsets what the county might have to spend in support for people who lose their housing and need services.
Chairman Mike Kelly acknowledged the incentive programs do not perfectly solve the problems, but, “I think there’s merit in continuing to try. Incremental progress is progress,” he said.
The vote was 6-1 for the voucher incentives, with O’Hara dissenting.
She and Commissioner Michael Ashcraft were also “no” votes on the eviction mediation funding, which was approved 5-2.
One rule in the voucher program has also changed
In related news, commissioners learned of a rule change in the voucher program that is expected to make it easier for voucher payments to be used in higher-income parts of the county.
HUD has notified the county that small area fair market rents, which determine the amount the vouchers will pay, will be calculated based on ZIP codes.
Rental assistance is currently uniform across the county, said Heather McNeive, director of housing services for the county. Using ZIP codes as the basis will better reflect the local market and help voucher holders move into higher-income areas, according to a county background document.
Go deeper: How a Johnson County Court experiment is helping tenants from being evicted
Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at roxieham@gmail.com.
