READING — An eviction diversion program in Reading that offered tenants hands-on legal help and rental money has been greatly diminished as grants, federal funding, and volunteer assistance have dried up.
The collaboration between volunteer lawyers, the city’s Human Relations Commission, and Magisterial District Judge Tonya Butler launched in 2020 during the economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between 2021 and 2023, the program received at least $482,400 in grants, primarily to ensure volunteer lawyers would be connected with tenants, communicate with landlords, and appear during Monday eviction proceedings. The program was also bolstered by the millions of dollars in federal rental assistance Reading received at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Housing advocates say the program was a success. An analysis showed orders of possession issued in Butler’s court plummeted at the height of the program in 2021, compared to other magisterial court districts. The proportion of cases in Butler’s court where the tenant won increased from 10% in 2019 to 31% in 2021.
But resources for the program dwindled last year as eviction filings increased. Of the 314 eviction cases Butler heard in 2024, 19% resulted in judgments in favor of tenants. Landlords won more than half of those cases.
Other programs targeted at preventing eviction in Berks County recently received more than $500,000 in state grants. But they don't have a legal aid component, which supporters say is key because it increases the likelihood tenants will show up to court and improves the chances the tenant will remain housed.
Berks is one of 15 counties that have a higher eviction filing rate than the statewide average of 7.2%, according to a Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania analysis. More than half of Reading’s population can’t afford a median market rent of $1,260, per a draft equity plan from 2023.
The program came together under the leadership of Don Smith, attorney and former executive director of the Berks County Bar Association, who at the time was volunteering for MidPenn Legal Services. It launched in September 2020, after Pennsylvania's original statewide moratorium on evictions ended.
“When the program came, that was hope for a lot of people, like people who truly needed it, who you know either lost their jobs or were suffering,” said Butler, who heard 8.5% of Berks County eviction cases in 2024.
Research shows evictions can make it harder for people to find housing and lead to an increase in homelessness. A 2023 study from Yale University that examined data from New York City and Chicago found that people who were evicted were more likely to seek emergency shelter a year later. For tenants, an eviction can trigger a financial decline, lead to lower credit scores, and have detrimental effects on a person’s health, the study noted.
But even tenants who win an eviction case, have it dismissed, or settle with their landlords still suffer consequences. More than half of the Pennsylvania tenants who participated in a 2024 University of Michigan study said they were denied housing by prospective landlords because of an eviction filing.
Expansion, then contraction
In 2021, Smith — in partnership with MidPenn Legal Services — secured a $332,400 United Way grant to expand the program into the Reading magisterial court district led by Judge Carissa Johnson.
The money also allowed MidPenn to hire a staff attorney to be in court with tenants and a navigator to help them apply for rental assistance and connect to different resources.
Rental assistance, especially the large influx of aid that became available during the pandemic, was pivotal to the program’s success, said Kathryn Wentzel, managing attorney for MidPenn Legal Services.
In July 2023, as COVID-19 funding dwindled, Human Relations Commission Executive Director Kimberly Talbot got a $150,000 grant for rental assistance from the Wyomissing Foundation. The money also funded a financial literacy initiative that connected tenants at risk of eviction with budgeting courses.
“When rental assistance was available, we were able to utilize those resources to help the parties come to basically an agreement as to how the eviction case would resolve,” Wentzel said.
Smith stepped down last year as the main coordinator and volunteer lawyer for the program. Around the same time, the Wyomissing Foundation grant ran out.
Then, in April, MidPenn had to wind down its participation due to staffing issues and demand for other legal services in the city. Wentzel said the organization had to weigh the value of having legal staff in eviction court on a routine basis versus having people in the office on call to defend and represent tenants seeking pro bono services.
“It was great while it worked, but the takeaway is that we need more systemic change to actually enable programming like this to continue,” Wentzel said.
A diminished program
The program continues in some capacity largely due to the efforts of Talbot. She usually goes to eviction hearings on Mondays to serve as a case manager embedded in Butler’s court, determining whether people qualify for rental or utility assistance. She looks at the court docket and complaints, sees how much tenants owe, and tries to help with landlord-tenant mediation, if needed.
But Talbot said there is a limit to the advice she can provide because she is not a lawyer. Pro bono and volunteer attorneys stopped coming to Butler’s court around June 2025.
“I'm trying to work with our grants coordinator to see if she's able to locate funding so that we might be able to pay an attorney to be a part of the program, because MidPenn just can't right now, but they dedicated years to this program,” Talbot said.
Helping tenants facing eviction is one of Talbot’s many responsibilities as executive director of the commission. She is also tasked with investigating employment, housing, and public accommodation discrimination complaints.
“The city wanted to be a part of the project and has been so supportive of me,” Talbot said. “I had to get permission in order to do this, because it takes me away from my duties as executive director here.”
The funding for Talbot’s eviction prevention work comes from the federal Emergency Solutions Grants program, but can only be used for tenants who meet strict income guidelines set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. For Reading, the income limits are classified by the agency as “extremely low,” she said, which means a single person cannot make more than $21,000 annually to qualify for rental assistance and other services offered through Talbot’s office.
This year, the Human Relations Commission had $40,000 from the ESG for rental and utility assistance and was able to help 40 households facing eviction, Talbot said. Butler's court alone had 272 eviction filings from January to November this year.
For next year, the agency requested the same amount. Unspent funds from this year will be spent on cases that were already in process.
Talbot said there is still approximately $13,000 of pandemic-era rental assistance money left, but only for people who can prove they suffered financial setbacks due to COVID-19.
Because the available funds are limited, the commission does not have the capacity to meet the demand for rental assistance. Talbot often refers tenants to other agencies if the commission can’t help.
“Right now, we're just sort of playing it by ear. We're trying to do what we can do and offer what we can offer,” Talbot said.
Eviction prevention programs continue
There are new eviction programs coming online in Berks County soon.
In June, the Berks Coalition to End Homelessness was awarded a $350,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) for a countywide rental assistance and landlord engagement program.
Kristi Byrne from the coalition said the program will provide rental assistance to tenants who make 50% below Berks County’s area median household income, which is about $46,850 for a family of four, according to 2024 data.
“I think we're going to do $1,500 per client,” Byrne said. “We don't have all the full details yet, but we are hoping to get that up and running in the next few weeks.”
The new program will also offer financial incentives, such as signing bonuses and utility assistance, to encourage landlords to rent to at-risk tenants.
The Berks County Nonprofit Development Corporation received $200,000 from PHARE for a housing stability and eviction prevention program that will connect people to case management, financial assistance, job skill development, and financial budgeting courses. The corporation is a nonprofit managed by the Berks County Redevelopment Authority.
The program application, which is expected to launch Dec. 15, is open to tenants who make less than 50% of the county’s area median household income and were served with an eviction notice. It will offer up to six months' worth of money to pay off back rent and three months of future rent. Flyers and applications for the program will be available at Berks County public libraries.
If a landlord agrees to accept the payments and to withdraw the eviction, they then enter into a mediation plan with the tenant.
Mediation has been effective in other parts of Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, landlords are required to seek mediation with tenants before filing for eviction. Since the city adopted this model in May 2024, eviction filings have significantly dropped, compared to a typical year before the pandemic, according to The Inquirer.
Tenants accepted into the Berks County Nonprofit Development Corporation’s program must also agree to participate in an online financial budgeting course and another workshop on employment and training opportunities at CareerLink.
Each case can receive up to $10,000, and about 20 to 25 families are expected to benefit. The grant for the pilot ends in July 2027.
“When the parties enter into the agreement, the tenant is experiencing at least that moment of stability," said Jaime Perez, deputy director of the Redevelopment Authority. “The hope is that not only are we getting them out of that momentary situation that they're in, but helping them move forward in a better direction with some better tools.”
Neither of these county programs will offer free legal assistance or replicate the model Smith originally intended for Reading’s eviction diversion program.
“Having a lawyer does make a difference … being able to provide due process,” Smith said. “That’s what’s so important, and that’s what I really thought we needed to achieve. And we did achieve this with this program.”