In 2023, RSI continued to dig deep into identifying the variables that make court-related alternative dispute resolution (ADR) effective. We did this through innovative research and day-to-day program implementation.
RSI is fascinated and inspired by all that our work has taught us. And we are grateful to have the privilege of continuing to examine the elements of effective court-related ADR as a means of enhancing access to justice.
Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work.
Adaptation and Innovation. Those are the themes of the new Resolution Systems Institute annual report. Like many organizations, RSI has opted to sum up 2020 and 2021 together – a reflection of the degree to which we have been consumed by the urgent demands of these extraordinary times.
As we lift our heads from our work for a moment, we’re proud to review all that our efforts have helped accomplish over the past couple years.
From designing and operating three new eviction mediation programs in Illinois, to convening experts from across the US to explore the potential of online dispute resolution for family court, to curating resources for a special topic on eviction mediation, to providing evaluation of both our own and others’ alternative dispute resolution programs, RSI has been busy adapting and innovating in an effort to mitigate some of the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This work is improving outcomes. To take just one local example, our Kane County, Illinois, Eviction Mediation Program served over 100 households in the final few months of 2021, after Illinois ended its eviction moratorium on October 3. Mediators handled 66 cases, providing a vital forum for parties to hear and be heard, and leading to 45 agreements. Afterward, 89% of parties responding to surveys expressed satisfaction with the mediation experience. In addition, RSI helped navigate hundreds of community members to housing counseling, rental assistance and legal aid services.
Of course, everything RSI has accomplished in our 27 years of operation has been made possible by our dedicated program partners, generous funders, and everyone who joins us in working to increase access to justice through court alternative dispute resolution.
We invite you to review the Resolution Systems Institute 2020-2021 Annual Report and learn more about what we’ve accomplished together. We hope you will continue to support our work and be a part of finding creative solutions that improve outcomes for disputing parties, while reducing the strain on our nation’s court systems.
