Since 2015, the number of Americans without permanent or even temporary shelter has doubled, reaching three million. The reasons are readily apparent. Home prices rose 60% between 2019 and 2025, pushing the median home price to an all-time high of $420,000—five times the median household income. ¹

Rent has climbed just as dramatically, jumping from $1,350 per month in 2015 ² to $2,100 in 2025, ³ outpacing both inflation and wages. In fact, between 2000 and 2022, rent grew more than six times faster than real household income. ⁴ As Massachusetts Senator Lydia Edwards put it, “The rent eats first, but now the rent eats it all.”

Housing has climbed to become the top policy priority in nearly every community in America. ⁵ The value of preventing homelessness is clear and urgent. And the research pointing to the increasing need for mediation as a prevention force has never been stronger. ⁶

A Proven Framework for Preventing Housing Disaster

Early intervention programs have proven capable of keeping roofs overhead and bottom lines intact—before eviction and turnover, before homelessness and social services, before crisis. Research and development efforts have synthesized lessons learned from pandemic-era diversion programs, what experts across the U.S. advise, and early dispute resolution which have now become best practice recommended by the American Bar Association.

This research led to a unique approach to mediation. Instead of engaging in zero sum policy debates between housing providers and tenants, each wanting more at the other’s expense, a third option has emerged as a strong contender: pre-filing dispute resolution that stabilizes both households and housing providers. When they can both win together, why continue a game requiring one to lose?

Successful prevention models often begin by educating housing providers on the massive pain of eviction and the proven results that mediation can bear for this problem: once stakes and benefits are clear, they voluntarily commit to prevention by making it their property management default, which proved true for Texas providers. ⁷

Both housing providers and residents agree up front to mediate disputes rather than rushing to court. Both commit equal resources in small monthly fees, comparable to a fast food meal. And structured prevention frameworks make that commitment practical and accessible with a cohesive system complete with user-friendly guides, readily available resources, and on-demand services.

The small monthly investment holds enough psychological weight that is key to commitment and ultimately good faith participation, as evidenced by recent research from Stanford Medicine. ⁸ These funds support on-demand services and educational resources on conflict resolution. While these resources are helpful to have for any type of conflict and help justify ongoing program costs, they most importantly prepare parties for productive conflict engagements. Shared-cost helps ensure mutual buy-in while program design ensures accessibility. Stakeholders can access these services whether conflicts arise between roommates, neighbors, or housing providers and residents because any one of these relationships can jeopardize stability. This widespread access creates a ripple effect across entire rental communities.

In the wake of HUD funding cuts, public leaders are searching for solutions. San Antonio, Texas, stands out here: its housing ecosystem is increasingly focused on preventing housing instability before it escalates into eviction or homelessness. Opportunity Home, the largest public housing provider in Texas, has repeatedly emphasized housing stability, innovative solutions, and protection against displacement, ⁹ while the city of San Antonio already supports landlord-tenant mediation as a housing preservation tool. Together, these trends suggest growing opportunities for upstream interventions that resolve conflict before housing crises occur. And if stakeholder pooled funding can work in a city like San Antonio that consistently ranks among the nation’s most impoverished, ¹⁰ it may offer a model for communities elsewhere.

The challenge each city must address is how to bring parties to the table. Philadelphia mandates participation in its diversion program, even if not all filed cases go to mediation, while other cities may rely on upstream education, incentives, and voluntary participation. For the latter to work, coordination and collaboration across the housing ecosystem are essential. If eviction prevention is an upstream strategy, then mediation awareness and stakeholder buy-in are the enabling conditions for prevention success.

The trust and legitimacy necessary for effective resolution processes should not be established after disputes erupt around the mediation table, but long before. In this sense, housing dispute resolution becomes more than a service delivered during crisis; it becomes civic infrastructure that is built, funded, understood, and trusted before it is needed. This systematized preparedness is reflected in the most robust organizations: dispute resolution contract clauses that include required arbitration with all logistics outlined, most famously with the American Arbitration Association procedures.

At scale, these approaches can function as civic infrastructure that strengthens resilience, stability, and shared prosperity. When risks and disputes are routinely addressed through collaborative, confidential, and upstream problem-solving processes, they are metabolized into opportunities for mutual gain and damage mitigation. Although leaders continue to debate on public health or public safety approaches, early intervention frameworks deliver benefits in both areas, along with the economic advantages previously mentioned.

Building a Common Ground Economy

Every community can better flourish when its resources are better managed. When it comes to fiscal responsibility, it would be tough to find an area more impactful than housing. As a cornerstone of the economy, housing accounts for 4% of GDP and influences as much as 40% of growth or recession cycles. ¹¹ Stable housing systems, like those featuring prevention measures, make local economies more resilient, thereby attracting investment and insulating against downturns.

Prevention also saves money. Permanent supportive housing, while not inexpensive, still beats the alternative, reducing costs by reducing shelter stays, ER visits, and jail time. Utah’s adoption of Housing First in 2005 reduced chronic homelessness by 74% while cutting annual per-person costs from $20,000 to $8,000. ¹² Seattle saw similar results, with supportive housing cutting costs by 53%, or about $2,500 per person per month. ¹³ Early intervention strategies apply the same principle upstream, preventing homelessness before it starts, with the potential for even greater savings.

Evidence also shows mediation reduces court congestion and costs. Philadelphia’s citywide mediation program cut eviction cases from 22,000 pre-pandemic to 14,000 in 2024, resolving 70% of disputes outside of court. ¹⁴ Similar pre-filing dispute resolution programs mirror this approach: fewer filings, lower costs, and leaner use of public resources. Better strategy means better leverage; more stability, less waste. For deficit-challenged cities like San Antonio already bracing for federal budget cuts, ¹⁵ these savings are not optional; they are essential.

Philadelphia’s experience also highlights a broader lesson: mediation works best when public trust and stakeholder buy-in exist before disputes occur. Early education and voluntary participation help parties engage in good faith, increasing the likelihood of successful resolution. In summary: once participants commit, they can come early, come prepared, and come out ahead.

Housing as Public Health

Stable housing is health care by another name. Evictions trigger ER visits, worsen mental health crises, and accelerate long-term decline. Listening sessions by Close to Home, the lead continuum of care agency for San Antonio, reveal that experiencing homelessness often leads to substance abuse which then further entrenches the struggle with being unhoused. ¹⁶ Open, widespread use of substances in public is often the image many get when thinking of extreme homelessness, yet the co-occurring public health disasters of homelessness and substance abuse are reducible with prevention. Studies show that supportive housing reduces ER visits, hospitalizations, and jail stays. ¹⁷ By preventing eviction before it escalates into homelessness, early intervention offers the same returns earlier and at lower cost. Eviction prevention may not be medicine, but it certainly produces measurable, resource-efficient public health gains.

Children face the greatest risk. ¹⁸ Research shows eviction damages educational achievement, cognitive development, and long-term outcomes. ¹⁹ In Rochester, Maryland, the problem became so pronounced that one school began hiring staff to support eviction prevention among students, ²⁰ demonstrating both the widespread need and real impact from taking action even in unexpected places. These disruptions shape not only present suffering but the future economy, because struggling children become struggling adults. Upstream intervention changes that trajectory, giving communities the tools to safeguard its next generation by protecting its current or future renters.

Housing as Public Safety

Prevention also promotes safety. Most gun violence, recent groundbreaking research shows, results from a simple formula: unresolved conflict, time, and access to a gun. ²¹ While most disputes don’t turn deadly, any dispute can, which is where the relational aspects of mediation become paramount. Whether it’s used early on before lawsuits are filed and tensions are up, or after judgments are rendered and resentment has set in, mediation serves to de-escalate tensions and ultimately prevent violence for those would-be cases. In 2024, a man killed his girlfriend’s tenant in an argument over an eviction case in San Antonio. If mediation had been used for this provider-resident dispute instead of two trials in the winner-loser court system, the murder may have been prevented. ²²

At the end of the day, it’s not hard to see why the two approaches—litigation and mediation—regularly produce drastically different results. Courts pit people against one another to produce fault and a clear loser, whereas mediation brings them together to solve the root problem. Even when agreement isn’t possible, it doesn’t produce fault or a loser, and it doesn’t preclude resolution by other means. Early housing interventions inserts this relational process into one of the most universal human experiences: housing. Making mediation easily accessible directly addresses the formula previously mentioned, addressing conflict while time is still on our side (without needing to alter second amendment rights).

Stable housing itself reduces crime. Research in Pennsylvania ²³ and NIH studies ²⁴ confirm that secure housing lowers recidivism. A clear link between housing stability and safer streets can be seen from the results of Houston’s Housing First approach: not only was homelessness reduced, so were encounters with the police. ²⁵ Meaningful gains in homelessness prevention are therefore meaningful gains in public safety, a key priority emphasized by the current administration. By embedding mediation into housing systems, early dispute resolution offers meaningful outcomes for public safety by preventing the conditions that lead to both crime and violence.

From Bipartisan Framework to Scalable Future

Debates between public health versus safety approaches to housing don’t have to be polarizing if we focus on outcomes, beginning with economics, where agreement is easier to find. Even across sharp political divides, cities and states agree on one thing: prevention works. Utah and Seattle as political opposites shows that prevention-oriented approaches offer a pragmatic opportunity to advance both public health and public safety goals while reducing costs, without the need to abandon political ideologies. While the public health versus safety framing carries meaningful implications, both camps can achieve tremendous impact in their shared zone of possible agreement (ZOPA) without needing to get tangled up in political debate rhetoric, which too often features distinctions without differences.

What it comes down to for public officials at all levels is this: are we going to continue relying on the adversarial legal system then looking to law enforcement to crack down on the aftermath, or leverage prevention methods that afford us the time and compassion to better handle issues, and in the end, lead to better outcomes? It may be tempting to embrace law enforcement methods when the pressure is on and stakes are high, but even a little prevention can match (and often outperform) force. The earlier intervention happens, the better the outcomes tend to be, making it tough for any downstream method to match those upstream. Whether public officials emphasize public health or safety, both of them are expensive precisely because the prevention didn’t happen.

And not everything is a matter of disagreement. The Urban Institute’s Three-P framework for affordable housing (production, preservation, and protection) is widely accepted by experts of different political persuasions. Early dispute resolution strategies strengthen the protection pillar, keeping families stable while longer-term production and preservation efforts catch up. ²⁶

Most importantly, mediation is one of the few tools that both tenant advocates and property owners agree has value. If litigation raises costs and tension, mediation lowers both. When these translate into agreeable terms of resolution, both sides readily embrace it. Dispute resolution processes can transform adversaries into problem-solvers, shifting resources from fighting each other toward building solutions.

These proven methods work for even the toughest issues among the most divided groups, as exemplified by the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, ²⁷ an experiment recognized by the American Bar Association, which redesigned house congressional members engaged in lawmaking and produced over 200 pieces of bipartisan recommendations, most of which were adopted unanimously. ²⁸ These proven collaborative practices enable even the most polarized individuals to become collaborators, and can also enable opposing advocacy groups to do the same.

Conclusion: A Shared Investment in Stability

Shared responsibility funding models can work because stakeholders themselves see the value and pay into it, creating both financial and psychological buy-in. Yet there remains a role for public partnership for public gain, such as covering mediation costs, offering rental relief, or incentivizing participation, to expand reach and impact. In fact, programs featuring two or more simultaneous interventions produce the best results, ²⁹ demonstrating the need for public investment to achieve the best outcomes.

Some of this can occur through local prevention programs, such as covering mediation fees for residents impacted by job loss. Others can work in tandem, like rent relief operated independently of dispute resolution initiatives, or a tenant-right-to-counsel program where mediation sets a collaborative, upstream stage and counsel ensures adequate legal capacity. In either case, the presence of rental assistance and other complimentary interventions would undoubtedly enhance service impact and program outcomes.

For judges, pre-filing dispute resolution programs can streamline rather than delay cases, resolving most disputes and giving plaintiffs proof of good-faith effort for those that proceed. Courts reduce dockets without denying justice; quite the contrary, court-based justice is able to deliver faster with a less congested docket and more available resources. The logic of early dispute resolution is so clear that the American Bar Association now recommends early dispute resolution across all civil cases as a precursor to litigation. ³⁰ Furthermore, while legal professionals may rightly question how useful mandating mediation is if parties come in bad faith, programs can address this through proactive education that converts skepticism and court mandates into interest-based voluntary participation.

Early programs suggest that housing providers participate when costs and benefits are clearly shared. Voluntary, education-based approaches can also help build public trust before disputes occur, thereby evading objections associated with mandated methods.

For tenant advocates, mediation means dignity and agency, preventing avoidable displacement and buying time until unit production and preservation catch up. For housing provider advocates, it means reduced legal costs, fewer vacancies, and predictable rent flow. For business leaders, it means stability and growth.

The path forward is clear: prevention is cheaper, healthier, safer, and more sustainable. Early housing stability interventions can (and should) be more than crisis response services—they can function as infrastructure for America’s stability.

ALEC CHAPA, SHRM-CP, PMP, is the 2026 co-chair of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section Ombuds Committee, a former board member of the Texas Association of Mediators, and founder of Mosaic Collaborative Consulting, a dispute resolution and capacity building firm. (linkedin.com/in/alec-chapa-tx/)

Endnotes and Resources

¹ The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2025

² Gudell, Svenja. The Rent Is Still Too Damn High – And Getting Higher, Zillow, 19 Feb. 2015, www.zillow.com/research/jan-2015-market-report-8951/.

³ US Rental Market What Is the Average Rent in US?, Zillow, www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/united-states/. Accessed 15 June 2026.

⁴ Average Rent Increase per Year, iPropertyManagement, ipropertymanagement.com/research/average-rent-increase-per-year. Accessed 15 June 2026.

⁵ The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2025

⁶ Desmond, Matthew. How to Solve the Housing Crisis, New York Review, 7 Nov. 2024, www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/11/07/how-to-solve-the-housing-crisis-matthew-desmond/.

⁷ Treskon, Mark. Eviction Prevention and Diversion Programs, Urban Institute, Apr. 2021, www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/104148/eviction-prevention-and-diversion-programs-early-lessons-from-the-pandemic_0_0.pdf.

⁸ Goldman, Bruce. “Stanford Medicine Study Reveals Why We Value Things More When They Cost Us More.” News Center, Stanford Medicine, Nov. 2023, med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2023/11/dopamine-sunk-cost.html.

⁹ Opportunity Home Board Names Public Affairs Executive as Acting President and CEO - Opportunity Home San Antonio, June 2024, homesa.org/press_release/opportunityhome-ceo/.

¹⁰ Karlis, Michael. “San Antonio Has Third-Highest Poverty Rate of Any Big U.S. City, U.S. Census Says.” Despite Rapid Wage Growth, San Antonio Remains among Most Impoverished U.S. Metros, San Antonio Current, Sept. 2025, www.sacurrent.com/news/san-antonio-has-third-highest-poverty-rate-of-any-big-us-city-us-census-says-32648158/.

¹¹ The State of the Nation’s Housing 2025, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2025

¹² Surowiecki, James. Home Free?, The New Yorker, 2014, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22.

¹³ Larimer, Mary E. “Health Care and Public Service Use and Costs Before and After Provision of Housing for Chronically Homeless Persons With Severe Alcohol Problems.” JAMA, vol. 301, no. 13, 1 Apr. 2009, p. 1349, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.414.

¹⁴ Vallejo, Camila. How Local Leaders Are Stemming the Eviction Crisis, The Eviction Lab, 2025, evictionlab.org/how-local-leaders-are-stemming-the-eviction-crisis/.

¹⁵ Peck, Josh. “San Antonio City Council Weighs Budget Priorities as Deficits Loom, Rules out Property Tax Raise | TPR.” San Antonio City Council Weighs Budget Priorities as Deficits Loom, Rules out Property Tax Raise, 2025, www.tpr.org/government-politics/2025-06-27/san-antonio-city-council-weighs-budget-priorities-as-deficits-loom-rules-out-property-tax-raise.

¹⁶ https://www.closetohomesa.org/uploads/1/4/8/8/148868018/soh_-_final_downloadable.pdf

¹⁷ Culhane, Dennis P., et al. “Public Service reductions associated with placement of homeless persons with severe mental illness in supportive housing.” Housing Policy Debate, vol. 13, no. 1, Mar. 2010, pp. 107–163, https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2002.9521437.

¹⁸ Graetz, Nick. “Who Is Evicted in America.” The Eviction Lab, Princeton University, 2023, evictionlab.org/who-is-evicted-in-america/.

¹⁹ Nealon, Dennis. “Evictions Haunt Families, Harm Children’s Health | Harvard Medical School.” Evictions Haunt Families, Harm Children’s Health, 2023, hms.harvard.edu/news/evictions-haunt-families-harm-childrens-health.

²⁰ Vallejo, Camila. How Local Leaders Are Stemming the Eviction Crisis, The Eviction Lab, 2025, evictionlab.org/how-local-leaders-are-stemming-the-eviction-crisis/.

²¹ Ma, Adrian. “A New Theory on Gun Violence : NPR.” A New Theory on Gun Violence, 2025, www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5406718/a-new-theory-on-gun-violence.

²² Hickok, Mason. “Landlord’s Boyfriend Arrested in Connection with Fatal Tenant Dispute.” KSAT, 2024, https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/01/02/watch-live-person-arrested-in-connection-with-fatal-north-side-shooting/.

²³ https://housingalliancepa.org/wp-content/uploads/No-Home-to-Return-to.pdf

²⁴ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8496894/

²⁵ McLean, Danielle. “Why Coordinated Care Is Key to Houston’s Housing-First Approach to Homelessness | Smart Cities Dive.” Why Coordinated Care Is Key to Houston’s Housing-First Approach to Homelessness, 2022, www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/coordinated-care-key-houston-housing-first-approach-homeless-the-way-home/638583/.

²⁶ Poethig, Erika. “Opportunity for All Envisioning a National Preservation Strategy Erika Poethig.” Envisioning a National Preservation Strategy, Urban Institute, 2020, www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/102837/envisioning-a-national-preservation-strategy_0_1.pdf.

²⁷ http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/09/house-modernization-committee-bipartisan-collaboration-lessons/

²⁸ Ripley, Amanda. What a Divided Congressional Committee Learned When They Did Mediation, The Washington Post, 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/09/house-modernization-committee-bipartisan-collaboration-lessons/.

²⁹ Elliott, Rachel. “‘The Eviction Crisis Is Rampaging: Time to Implement Diversion Programs’ by Rachel Elliott.” The Eviction Crisis Is Rampaging: Time to Implement Diversion Programs, Journal of Dispute Resolution, 2025, scholarship.law.missouri.edu/jdr/vol2025/iss1/8/.

³⁰ Harris Hoss, Felicia, and Ellie Villendrer. “ABA Unanimously Adopts Policy Encouraging Early Dispute Resolution.” ABA Unanimously Adopts Policy Encouraging Early Dispute Resolution, American Bar Association, 2024, www.americanbar.org/groups/dispute_resolution/resources/just-resolutions/2024-may/aba-unanimously-adopts-policy-encouraging-early-dispute-resolution/.