Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution

Reflecting on the achievements of 2023, one standout success was the state's recognition of the crucial role played by each Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) in their respective regions. This recognition was underscored when we embraced the challenge of delivering mediation services as part of the Eviction Resolution Pilot Program, showcasing our commitment to serving 100% of Washington's population. The budget allocated in the recent legislative session reflects this acknowledgment, with a substantial increase in operational funding allocated to all DRCs. Our Space Between: Equity & Access Initiative mirrors the collaborative efforts of numerous DRCs and has been recognized as a worthy investment statewide. Additionally, our work in Pierce County has garnered attention from key figures such as the Speaker of the House, ensuring the sustainability and accessibility of our services to a broader audience. This reinforces our commitment to equity and access policies while scaling up our projects below. In 2023, we encountered two distinct mediation service experiences. From January to June, we managed the high volume, high-conflict, and trauma-infused Eviction Resolution Program mandated by the state of Washington. Throughout this period, we provided deep intake, mediation, and conflict coaching services to over 24,000 clients, including landlords, tenants, attorneys, and housing advocates. Despite the challenges, our trauma-informed support exceeded the state funding, necessitating our efforts until the program's conclusion on June 30th. After the mandated resolution program ended on July 1st, we saw housing conflict requests decrease. Nevertheless, we continued mediating productive conversations between tenants, landlords, and advocates, supported by the new state operational funds dedicated to outreach, mediator training, and client support. Furthermore, our center now offers flexible options for online or in-person mediation. This adjustment led to some mediators retiring from their roles at the Center this year. Despite these changes, our commitment to professionalism, confidentiality, and accessibility remains steadfast. Concurrently to the end of the statewide program, our launch of a new website on July 1, 2023, marked a significant milestone in enhancing accessibility to our services. Through streamlining online forms, removing jargon, and creating a resource hub, we have made it easier for individuals to understand and utilize our services. The introduction of an innovative and sliding scale pricing structure based on what clients can afford to pay has further empowered more community members to access our services, leading to a remarkable increase in revenue diversification and financial accessibility. In addition, our improved use of technology includes a refined database for tracking volunteer hours, competencies, and training participation, ensuring accurate records and efficient management. We look forward to using our data to tell powerful stories of impact. In addition, we have improved and implemented a system for tracking our metrics to enhance current and future reporting efforts. We also continue to shape the next generation of skilled conflict resolution professionals thanks to our training expansion and practicum growth. The collaboration with Pierce Countys Housing Coordinated Entry has been instrumental. Eight individuals from Coordinated Entry participated in every session of our Basic Mediation Trainings in 2023. All these individuals have either lived experiences with homelessness or direct contact with unstably housed community which provided invaluable insights and perspectives for our mediators, staff, and other BMT participants. Moreover, for the first time in our history, we have added a fourth virtual BMT session to our training calendar to meet the demand of conflict resolution training for our community. In 2023, CDR achieved a 200% increase in individuals joining our mediator practicum due to our increased outreach efforts to recent graduates of our Basic Mediation Training (BMT). We also offered 33 mediator In-Service learning opportunities, particularly in Eviction Prevention services which include client intakes, conflict coaching, conciliations, trauma informed service delivery, and more. Finally, when groups gather to work, often differences between individuals limit productivity. Our facilitation services work with groups, organizations, and public agencies to design the right group process, facilitate the most productive conversations and evaluate next steps to implement decisions, resolutions and agreements. Our Dialog & Resolution services are needed by small nonprofits and large complex state agencies. We look forward to a new cohort of trained facilitators in the coming year.