1 10 Housing Search Best Practices from the

1. 10 Housing Search: Best Practices from the Alliance’s Rapid Re-Housing Program Standards

Core Components of Rapid Re-Housing Identification Rent and Move-In Assistance (Financial) Rapid Re-Housing Case Management and Services

Housing Identification

Core Components Standards http: //www. endhomelessness. org/library/entry/rapid-re-housingperformance-benchmarks-and-program-standards Housing Identification

Housing Identification: Principles • Within the limits of the participant’s income, a rapid re-housing program should help households access units that are desirable and sustainable. • Housing identification efforts should be designed and implemented to actively recruit and retain landlords and housing managers willing to rent to program participants who may otherwise fail to pass typical tenant screening criteria.

Housing Identification: Principles • The landlord is a vital partner. The RRH provider must be responsive to landlords to preserve and develop those partnerships for the purposes future housing placements.

Housing Identification: Standards Program Staffing q. H 1. Program designates staff whose responsibility is to identify and recruit landlords and encourage them to rent to homeless households served by the program. Staff have the knowledge, skills, and agency resources to: understand landlords’ perspectives, understand landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities, and negotiate landlord supports. A program may have dedicated staff for whom this is the primary responsibility.

Housing Identification: Standards Program Policies q. H 4. Program offers a standard, basic level of support to all landlords who lease to program participants…. Program can negotiate additional supports, as needed, on a case-by-case basis. At a minimum… H 4 a. Respond quickly (within one business day)… H 4 b. Seek to resolve conflicts… H 4 c. Whenever possible, negotiate move-out terms…

4 Key Factors in Successful Housing Identification 1. Develop a plan for recruiting landlords. 2. Have a clear understanding of what landlords are interested in when engaging them and identify incentives your program can provide when recruiting landlords. 3. Identify who on your staff will take the responsibility for housing search and landlord recruitment. 4. Make sure that housing search and landlord engagement is an ongoing process. 10

• • • Service Provider Real Estate Developers Lead CES for Families and Individuals Crisis/Bridge Housing Provider Strive to lead the charge of ending homelessness in our region

Realities • We live in a community where wages do not meet the rental market costs • We have less than a 2% vacancy rate (which really often feels like less than ¼%) • We have to deal with a ton of competition • We deal with people with really poor housing instability and often multiple evictions • But we have a system and resources

Fair Market Rent in Los Angeles Final FY 2017 & Final FY 2016 FMRs By Unit Bedrooms Year Efficiency One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four-Bedroom Final FY 2017 FMR $988 $1, 195 $1, 545 $2, 079 $2, 303 Final FY 2016 FMR $947 $1, 154 $1, 490 $2, 009 $2, 227 Percentage Change 4. 3% 3. 6% 3. 7% 3. 5% 3. 4%

Where L. A. Ranks in Affordability

Los Angeles In Comparison The median gross rent, 2014. All images via National Affordable Rental Housing Landscape Available for extremely low income renters (for every 100 renters) 17 Wage needed to afford a 2 bedroom unit $26. 65/hr Hours needed to work at minimum wage to afford a 2 bedroom 118 *nlihc. org

RRH: HOUSING SEARCH AND LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT ISSUES bmotsavage@valleyyouthhouse. org

VALLEY YOUTH HOUSE Ø Operates in twelve eastern PA counties Ø Divisions: Prevention/Intervention, Behavioral Health, Shelters, Independent Living Ø In 2016: o 1, 019 homeless youth served by Street Outreach o Over 400 youth housed by shelters o 474 TAY and 234 babies housed by Independent Living: multiple models o Three current RRH programs (Philly, Montco, Wilkes Barre) fourth to start in York, converting three SHP’s to RRH o Work with 2, 000 foster care youth ageing out of care (high risk for homelessness)

HOUSING MARKET FMR 1 BR FMR 2 BR Vacancy Rate $1, 003 $1, 210 6. 8% Lehigh Valley $781 $998 2. 4% Wilkes-Barre $576 $707 5. 69% Philly

1. 10 HOUSING SEARCH: BEST PRACTICES FROM THE ALLIANCE’S RAPID RE-HOUSING PROGRAM STANDARDS MONDAY, JULY 17, 2 -3: 30 PM

I AM Zachary Brown, Executive Director, WV Coalition to End Homelessness. (Also part-time employee at Org. Code Consulting) I DO Lead for WV Balance of State Co. C, HMIS, and Direct Service (Street Outreach, RRH, and PSH). Outreach: 230/year. House: 120/year. Rate of Retention: 95%

WV LOOKS LIKE Median Gross Rent $675 (2015) Vacancy Rate 6. 82% (2015) *deptofnumbers. com Shortage of units affordable and available 26, 950 for extremely low income renters Wage needed to afford a 2 bedroom unit $14. 49/hr Percentage of Renters Extremely Low 33% Income *nlihc. org

WV LOOKS LIKE • Rural, Largish, Varying Urban and Redneck issues. • Several residents of “Nopeistan” live there. • Some counties have very little rental housing, period. • Lack of good case management. Lack of intentional outreach. • Sometimes a lack of “why”

Housing Search Best Practices for RRH Programs NAEH 2017 Michael Shore| July 18, 2017

Who We Are, What We Are Up To • We are HOUSERS • Scattered site, tenant based rental assistance programs • • • PSH: Approx 2, 050 participant households annually RRH: Approx 500 participant households annually HCV: Approx 225 lease-ups/move-ins annually • $17. 5 Million in total rental subsidy • We house approx 118 households in these programs monthly • • About 84 NEW admissions and 34 TRANSFERs Still not enough 24

Local Context Phoenix Metro Area in Maricopa County, Arizona • • Historical Rental Vacancy Rate 4 th most populous county nationally at 4. 1 million people Huge at 9, 200 square miles Fair Market Rents 0 BDRM 1 BDRM 2 BDRM 3 BDRM 4 BDRM $ 624 $ 757 $ 944 $ 1, 374 $ 1, 594 Love to Matt Schnars, Durham NC Opening Doors 25

Local Context PIT Trends Landlord Partners • 568 Active Landlords with HAP checks • • • Primarily larger multifamily apartment communities Also includes smaller properties, investors Interesting Tidbit • Apartment Sales Hit Record in 2016 § $4. 97 Billion (28% increase YOY) § 47, 233 Units 26

Housing Search - NAEH 2017 Michael Shore | July 18, 2017 Contact Information mikeshore@hominc. com 602 -758 -0609 www. hominc. com @shikemore @hominc facebook. com/hominc linkedin. com/in/mikeshore 27