The Quinnipiac University School of Law’s Homelessness Mitigation Mediation Program received a $540,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Housing in early October to alleviate some of the consequences that the global pandemic had on the state’s housing stability.

This grant allows for a two-year extension of the program and provides law students the opportunity to get hands-on experience and give back to the community.

In February 2021, the School of Law began the six-month pilot program in partnership with the Department of Housing.

Now in 2023, Quinnipiac’s mediation clinic provides landlord-tenant dispute resolution services to clients deemed eligible by the Department of Housing. This is an effort to assist as many clients as possible prior to formal court proceedings and help them maintain their housing.

“Not only does the mediation clinic provide our students with opportunities to engage with dispute resolution and learn new techniques for resolving housing issues, it also allows the law school to make a positive difference in the life of our community,” said Jennifer Brown, dean of the School of Law. 

The grant given to the HMMP will assist the Department of Housing in serving individuals applying for the UniteCT Eviction Prevention Fund.

UniteCT offers rent assistance to Connecticut residents who have fallen behind on rent payments due to the financial strain of the pandemic. The Eviction Prevention Fund offers up to 12 months in rent, or $15,000, to renters to prevent final eviction rulings in court.

“It is really great to have the opportunity to serve the community and give them a less stressful alternative,” said Brendan Holt, a clinical professor of law and the executive director of the HMMP.

In the midst of the pandemic, many people were unable to pay rent because of high unemployment rates and were on the brink of homelessness.

The program reached clients all over the state through virtual mediation meetings. The meetings are strictly virtual for efficiency because it is more affordable to clients and less-time consuming.

Law students have the opportunity to observe the program and the team of mediators as they work virtually to connect clients to resources and assist in repairing the relationships between landlords and tenants.

“It’s great for the law students to be able to work with actual clients in really tough spots and be a positive impact on the community,” Holt said.

Students do not need to be studying a particular area of law to participate in the program.

“Observing mediations conducted as part of the Homelessness Mitigation Mediation Program has been a valuable experience as a student of mediation,” said Charles Dumais, a second-year law student. “Getting to sit in as experienced mediators are facilitating complex tenant-landlord issues to help participants reach solutions that will hopefully keep them from having to enter a courtroom.”

As mediation clinic director, Holt emphasized the importance for lawyers to understand the value of facilitation. 

All clients go to court, even when an agreement has been reached during mediation. The agreement is then presented to a judge to be made an enforceable court order.

“This alleviates pressure on the court docket, because less time is needed for folks who arrive with a drafted agreement already in place,” Holt said, which “lessens the anxiety and uncertainty experienced by tenants who are not as familiar with what will occur.”

Juliana De Castro, a second-year law student, shadowed a mediation that, in her opinion, was a conduit for hope and relief.

“The mediator was very transparent in explaining the mediation process in detail,” De Castro said, adding that the mediator had made sure that “the parties understood her role as a facilitator in resolving the dispute through the party’s own self-determination.”