Housing Stability: Success in San Francisco Drives Mosaic’s HousingShield Program
Addressing Housing Affordability and Social Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic brought many underlying social issues to the forefront, and one of the most pressing was housing affordability. As eviction moratoriums lifted, cities like San Francisco faced an impending homelessness crisis. While the iconic city was once booming from the tech industry and others, that time was in the rear view mirror post-pandemic, calling for immediate, innovative intervention. The Conflict Intervention Service (CIS) program, well ahead of its time thanks to the leadership of Carol Conn and Roger Moss, answered the call.
In the wake of a looming “eviction tsunami” and protests of 2021, eviction prevention programs popped up all around the country in places like Philadelphia, New Hampshire, Texas, and others. The Bar Association of San Francisco’s CIS program, on the other hand, was already in motion resolving housing disputes of all kinds. That was its leg up against the housing crisis, but it needed support. Mosaic Collaborative Consulting stepped in to expand its desperately needed services, responding directly to housing stakeholders who reached out for help.
Consultants Alec Chapa and Sadie Cort led Mosaic’s effort, serving as the first point of contact for stakeholders, providing neutral assistance upon first contact to over 850 cases throughout 2023 while facilitating vital improvements to the program’s infrastructure. Their work not only helped keep people in their homes and businesses in operation; it also enhanced the program’s efficiency and capacity to handle future challenges.
The detailed case study below provides an in-depth look at the challenges Mosaic faced, the solutions they implemented, and the outstanding results they achieved. From transitioning databases to expanding team capacity, Mosaic’s approach exemplifies the kind of multidisciplinary skills required to tackle the housing crisis effectively.
Introducing HousingShield – The Future of Mosaic’s Housing Dispute Resolution Efforts
Having read the case study, you might wonder, “What’s next for Mosaic? How might their interdisciplinary work benefit other communities – especially when each city and state’s infrastructure is so unique that CIS may not work everywhere?” The answer lies in HousingShield, Mosaic’s groundbreaking program designed to bring proactive and collaborative dispute resolution to housing providers and renters nationwide.
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Inspired by Success in San Francisco
HousingShield was a culmination of several key factors, led by principal Alec Chapa. Chapa’s determination to view problems and potential solutions holistically was critical to a fresh take on the classic landlord-tenant relationship, riddled with inherent structural conflicts. Chapa simmered on the question of how their relationship could be altered, modified to become more collaborative than it otherwise would be.
Chapa drew from insights gleaned from involvement in the CIS program, such as blending dispute resolution methods and providing rapid response, then coupled these with innovative pillars like creating a pre-filing resolution pathway and a subscription-based funding model shared by both providers and tenants to support mediator’s impartiality. Taken together as one, HousingShield enables a shift in the usual landlord-tenant relationship and its challenges.
The idea is simple yet powerful: support both renters and housing providers with tools to address disputes early while securing a commitment to collaboration from both, then watch countless issues resolve quickly, before they escalate into costly and disruptive evictions.
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A Nationwide Solution
While inspired by the work in San Francisco, HousingShield is designed to be adaptable, making it applicable across different cities with varying housing landscapes. HousingShield operates in the “pre-filing” stage of disputes, meaning that HousingShield does its best, most impactful work in the pivotal time before lawsuits are filed. In the pre-filing stage, tensions are high and matters could escalate to legal quickly – but there’s still tremendous value up for grabs, value that a mediated intervention can seize.
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Generally speaking, the vast majority of civil cases resolve out of court, often in mediation. HousingShield streamlines the process with its rapid response system. So while it may at first appear to add a step in the eviction process, sizable case volume would mean housing providers net positive overall in resolution time.
As for case outcomes, it’s clear to see how HousingShield’s benefits like increased control for creative arrangements and shortened timelines support both providers and renters. Mediation can prevent “missed opportunity” cases, in which renters could have connected with community resources critical for maintaining tenancy (but didn’t), driving unnecessary evictions, lowering provider profits from higher vacancy rates.
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If exiting is the only viable option, mediation can streamline this realization, beating the court-based process which lowers vacancy lengths and saves on legal fees. And, exits can be graceful rather than forced, preserving the tenant’s ability to rent again.
HousingShield can be easily adjusted to fit each unique city and state it operates in – something that’s much easier since mediators aren’t practicing law (which would add a much bigger burden to program adaptations). Whatever the community’s unique needs are, HousingShield can be seamlessly modified and integrated into local eviction prevention supports, providing the same level of proactive dispute resolution that proved so effective in San Francisco.
Why Choose HousingShield?
HousingShield stands out from other dispute resolution options due to its focus on early intervention and collaboration. Unlike free mediation centers that often get involved post-lawsuit or expensive litigation that drains resources and strains relationships, HousingShield offers a balanced, effective approach. It’s a program built on the premise that the best business relationships are those that protect and prioritize shared interests.
Key Features and Benefits of HousingShield
- Financial Security: Landlords and housing providers save on legal and eviction expenses, improving the profitability of investments.
- Control: With about 90% of civil cases settling out of court, landlords and renters retain control over the resolution process for the vast majority of cases.
- Rapid Response: Guaranteed 24-hour response times ensure issues are addressed before they escalate.
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Conclusion
Mosaic’s work in San Francisco has shown that innovative, proactive dispute resolution can make a significant impact on housing stability and affordability. Prevention methods are now touted as critical to ending homelessness by authorities such as Close to Home and the National Alliance to End Homelessness. With HousingShield, Mosaic is poised to bring these benefits to communities across the nation. Whether you’re an executive considering collaboration with Mosaic or a member of the general public interested in effective solutions to housing challenges, HousingShield is a program you want to learn more about.
“[Mosaic] represents the future of 21st century Access To Justice (A2J), which will be compassion-centered, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and online.” – Roger Moss, former program director, Bar Association of San Francisco
Are you a landlord or property manager interested in protecting investments with HousingShield?
Maybe a community organization working with populations at-risk of eviction who could use our services?
Or a government agent interested in exploring how HousingShield can work for your community? Contact Alec Chapa directly to start a conversation.
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