So why would a landlord ever want to rent a market rate apartment to a homeless person?
It’s exactly what you thought. They don’t.
Small and large studies in America show that a homeless renter with a section 8 voucher in hand can approach landlord after landlord, week after week, month after month. They offer government supported proof they can pay the rent, only to be turned down again and again. And the vouchers often expire before housing can be found. For more on this dilemma try: After Stringent Housing Choice Voucher Testing: Jury Still Out on Racial Discrimination
And yet . . . Los Angeles is making it work.
After a successful pilot project, an initiative called Leaseup is convincing landlords to rent to the homeless. What magic ingredient is successfully linking landlords with homeless people while the Section 8 voucher program so consistently fails to do so?
Non-profit organizations.
Non-profits buffer the hookup process between prospective tenants and landlords. Non-profits guarantee the financial relationship between prospective tenants and landlords. And non-profits provide ongoing support for newly housed tenants.
Non-profits, it seems, inspire trust. Learn more about Los Angeles’ multi-million dollar initiative to end homelessness in STREETSBLOG LA: New “LeaseUp” Initiative Partners to Lease Housing to Curb Homelessness
