City of Portland residents can access free mediation services to resolve their differences. Our staff and volunteer mediators are highly skilled adults and teens that help people break down conflicts into manageable parts and say what they need to say in nonthreatening ways. Mediation is available, at low or no cost, in English and Spanish and in other languages with interpretation. We work with: Neighbors who have difficulties communicating over fences, noise, neighborhood appearance, and more; Parents or guardians and their teenage children on improving negative communication patterns, changes in family structure, trouble in school and running away; Divorced or separated parents on changes in parenting and communication status; Neighborhoods building Good Neighbor Agreements with social services and businesses that impact the neighborhood. Our mediation programs offer a personal and respectful way for neighbors, landlords and tenants, and community members to settle their disputes peacefully and respectfully. The neighborhood program handles about 600 disputes a year in Portland. Many neighbor disputes that have involved repeated calls to police have been successfully deescalated and resolved by referring the parties to mediation. RNW has small tear-off referral slips that officers can carry with them. They are printed in both English and Spanish. If you would like further information on the services of Resolutions Northwest or our printed referral materials please call us at (503) 595-4890.