Tenants facing eviction in Charleston County will soon get a chance at a lawyer, and at a settlement, before they lose their homes.

The Charleston Magistrate Court will hold its first Housing Court session Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the North Area 1 Magistrate Court, 4045 Bridge View Drive in North Charleston, Charleston County announced Wednesday. The court will hear eviction cases there on Wednesday mornings each week, and a pro bono attorney will be present to represent tenants who qualify based on income, the county said.

The county called it the first housing court in South Carolina. Its goal is to give landlords and tenants a chance to resolve their issues without an eviction. Charleston County magistrates say evictions often result from a breakdown in communication, according to the county.

“During an eviction, a landlord loses a tenant and a family loses a home,” West Ashley Magistrate Ellen Steinberg said in the county’s announcement. “The Housing Court will be a chance to get all parties in the same room, with a legal representative, and hopefully arrive at a positive outcome.”

The S.C. Supreme Court created the pilot in a May 24 administrative order signed by Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty, at the request of the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission. The order covers eviction cases filed in three magistrate courts, North Area 1, North Area 3 and West Ashley, and assigns Magistrates Amy J. Mikell, Joanna Summey-Fuller and Steinberg to preside in addition to their regular duties.

Tenants will be screened under criteria set by the magistrate courts in coordination with groups including Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, Charleston Legal Access, South Carolina Legal Services, the Charleston School of Law, the 211 Hotline and Trident Urban League, with One80 Place Legal Services coordinating, according to the order.

The court will track how many tenants have lawyers, how many evictions are filed, settled, dismissed or averted, and how many writs of ejectment are issued, and compare the results with other Charleston County magistrate courts, the order says.

Once the program is running at North Area 1, it will expand to the North Area 3 and West Ashley magistrate courts, the county said.