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Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


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You are here: Home / News / Community / ‘They help us find a common ground’: How Mediate Milwaukee serves tenants and landlords

‘They help us find a common ground’: How Mediate Milwaukee serves tenants and landlords

September 6, 2022 by PrincessSafiya Byers 4 Comments

Mediate Milwaukee’s Joanne Lipo Zovic (left) and Amy Koltz work to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. (Photo by PrincessSafiya Byers)

At the height of the pandemic, Franklin Colon said he lost his job because he had to stay home with his small children.

The single father of three started to apply for new jobs but had no luck. Afraid he and his children would be out on the streets, he reached out to Mediate Milwaukee for help.

“The mediators saved my life,” he said. “They walked me through the entire process from communicating with my landlord to applying for and getting rental assistance.”

That’s the premise of what Mediate Milwaukee does for its clients.



Mediate Milwaukee, 1915 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, is a nonprofit that provides free mediation services  for tenants and landlords.

“The primary reason people reach out is because they are at risk of being evicted. But sometimes people reach out because they are having a dispute with their landlord or tenant and can’t communicate,” said Joanne Lipo Zovic, one of the organization’s mediators. “We work with everyone but prioritize those who are at risk of losing housing.”

The organization does this by bringing parties together.

“Mediation is a neutral safe space,” said Dean Fiorentino, a landlord. “They help us find a common ground and get a mutual understanding.”

Fiorentino said communication can be one of the biggest challenges he faces when working with tenants.

“Mediators are able to explain what I may be trying to explain to tenants without the emotions,” he said. “Honestly, I can say the exact same thing as mediators, but tenants respond better to it when it’s them.”

Also, he said, Mediate Wisconsin frames, in writing, what he and a tenant collectively agreed to–something he wouldn’t have the capacity to do otherwise.

Amy Koltz, the president and executive director of Mediate Milwaukee, said the nonprofit employs three paid staff and has a few volunteers. Last year, the organization received 1,200 applications for its services. So far this year, there have been 431 applications, she said.

Shawn Payne went through mediation with his property management company after losing his job and becoming unable to pay rent.

“We had come to an agreement, and I was on track to pay back, but I guess they (the property management) lost patience and filed an eviction,” Payne said. “I reached out to Joanne and explained the situation, and she switched gears and helped me get rent assistance, so I was able to stay in my apartment.”


For more information

If you think you need mediation with your landlord or tenant, you can apply here.

Resources to consult if you’re worried about eviction 

  • Community Advocates rent helpline: 414-270-4646 
  • Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee: 414-727-5300 
  • Mediate Milwaukee: 414-939-8800 
  • Legal Action of Wisconsin: 414-278-7722
  • Social Development Commission: 414-906-2700
  • Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union: 414-410-9714 
  • Rental Housing Resource Center: 414-449-4777
  • Eviction Free MKE: 414-892-7368
  • Impact 2-1-1: 2-1-1

Filed Under: Community, Housing Tagged With: Amy Koltz, covid-19, Dean Fiorentino, Eviction, foreclosure, Franklin Colon, Joanne Lipo-Zovic, mediate milwaukee, Rent Assistance, Shawn Payne

About PrincessSafiya Byers

Facebook | More stories from PrincessSafiya

Princess Safiya Byers was born and raised in Milwaukee, and is a 2020 graduate of Marquette University, majoring in Journalism and Africana Studies. Her commitment to her community has led her to nonprofit work with local youth and families. She’s also interned with the Milwaukee Community Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and joins Milwaukee NNS as a Report for America Staff Reporter looking to serve democracy by covering issues important to the community.

Comments

  1. Sherri says

    September 7, 2022 at 12:37 pm

    I tried l this and didn’t get no help

    Reply
  2. PTS Terbaik says

    September 9, 2022 at 7:26 am

    thanks for the greate article

    Reply
  3. Mark Medrek says

    September 13, 2022 at 12:58 am

    It’s true! I have made many referrals, and people are usually happy with the results. Understand: BOTH parties must be willing to agree on a settlement.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 'They help us find a common ground': How Mediate Milwaukee serves tenants and landlords - Mediate.com - ANDHRABUZZ says:
    October 2, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    […] thing as mediators, but tenants respond better to it when it’s them.”Read the complete article here.Originally published in 19 Harvard Negotiation Law Review 1 and Pepperdine University Legal Studies […]

    Reply

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