By Chief Judge Cynthia Cruz
Many attorneys do not realize how evictions can pop up suddenly in their legal practice. Evictions can intersect with probate, civil, and family law. Because of that, I wanted to take the opportunity to provide information on a program that may help with non-payment-of-rent eviction situations: Las Vegas Justice Court’s Eviction Diversion Program (EDP).
EDP initially launched in 2022, but the Las Vegas Justice Court encountered delays and challenges in its roll-out. Once it rolled out, it did not have the anticipated results of connecting tenants with rental assistance. In the later part of 2023, the Las Vegas Justice Court, Clark County leadership, Legal Aid of Southern Nevada, the Supreme Court of Nevada, Clark County Social Services, and various community partners got back to the table to redevelop and rework the program to better serve tenants facing evictions for non-payment of rent. Refined criteria were established to provide fast-tracked resources to a defined subset of tenants, to make the program more effective and accessible.
EDP was re-launched in late December of 2023 and has since had 785 referrals to the program as of May 31, 2024, with 689 dispositions. Landlords participating in EDP have received disbursements of $1,417,277, resulting in 78.5 percent of EDP eviction cases being either denied or dismissed. No-show rates for tenants referred to EDP have dropped from over 80 percent to 24.6 percent since re-launch.
Currently, EDP targets tenants facing eviction for non-payment of rent, who are either over 62 years of age, on disability, or both. The program is voluntary. EDP participants are identified through responses in their tenant answer to an eviction notice. Once identified, they are immediately referred to one of the Las Vegas Justice Court’s EDP intake specialists to get them an appointment with Clark County Social Services, explain the EDP process, identify documentation needed, and help start the appropriate applications for assistance. The tenant is connected with Legal Aid of Southern Nevada to speak with a tenant’s rights advocate. Once at Clark County Social Services, same-day eligibility determinations are made. If the tenant qualifies for rental assistance, the landlord is contacted to see if they are willing to participate in EDP and how much is owed. If the landlord is willing to participate in EDP, a check can be released to the landlord in approximately ten days.
Tenants participating in EDP can also seek assistance with relocation or applying for other assistance, such as Medicare/Medicaid, or accessing other resources like Meals on Wheels. The Las Vegas Justice Court is hoping to expand the scope of EDP to include households with children who are four years of age or under and facing eviction for non-payment of rent.
EDP offers a collaborative solution, benefiting landlords, tenants, and our community by helping participants maintain stable housing during difficult times. This means fewer people who are unhoused, landlords who do not incur unpaid accounts receivable, the overall creation of positive community impact, and chipping away at the ongoing housing crisis.
Las Vegas Justice Court has dedicated staff for EDP to answer questions via phone and/or email at: (702) 671-3322 or LVJCEDP@clarkcountynv.gov.
About the author
Chief Judge Cynthia Cruz was elected to Las Vegas Justice Court Department 5 in 2012 and re-elected in 2018.
About the article
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This article was originally published in the Communiqué (Aug. 2024), the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association. See https://clarkcountybar.org/about/member-benefits/communique-2024/communique-aug-2024/.
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