Housing Solutions
Best Practices for
Providing Housing
Information to Clients
AIRS Conference – Rochester, NY
May 25, 2010
What are the most common
housing requests you hear?
Different types of housing
Credit/criminal record issues
Housing with no income
Barriers?
Call time limits
Quality of available resources
How do you find housing for
your clients?
Where do you keep it?
Paper/spreadsheet
Program referrals
Online
Pay services
Personal contacts
How do you convey listings
to callers?
By phone
Referral to online listing service
Through program referrals
Pros/cons of your housing
location system?
Accurate and reliable?
Up to date?
Easy to access?
Free?
Wishlist
What’s missing in your
housing location system?
What would be ideal?
With your group, create a
wishlist.
Online housing locators
Unmanaged
• Little or no human interaction
• Listings can be repeated, out of date
• Often sorted by pay features, not consumer
need
• Searchers may enter personal information for
results (anonymity, Fair Housing compromised)
Online housing locators
Managed
• Human interaction
• Up-to-date listings
• Easy to access
Case Study 1 – Cuyahoga Co
Cross marketing and completed calls
• Many options:
- Conduct housing searches
- Send callers to website
- Refer callers via direct
transfer to the
Socialserve.com call center
Case Study 1 – Cuyahoga Co
Cross marketing and completed calls
• ADA compliant website
• Free, regular training
for I&R staff as new
staff members come on
• Laminated desk guides
Case Study 2 – Georgia
Helping special-needs callers
• Housing listings highlight a large range of
accessibility features
• Special-needs I&R representatives can
complete confidentiality training to use
Special Needs Housing Search
Case Study 2 – Georgia
Helping special-needs callers
• The Special Needs Housing Search...
- Is confidential and secure
- Encourages collaboration between tenant,
landlord and caseworker
“As the federal government continues to roll out housing vouchers for
veterans experiencing homelessness, my organization has utilized
GeorgiaHousingSearch.org to make the affordable housing connection
for many of our soldiers. Apartment complexes like Chatsworth
Apartment Homes in Atlanta, and Creekside Apartments in Decatur,
have provided safe affordable housing options for these veterans. Both
of these addresses were selected amongst the hundreds of database
units promoted by landlords with a particular sensitivity towards
veterans.”
Jimiyu Evans, Housing Advocate,
Project Community Connections, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
Three family members with four children between them recently fled South
Carolina to escape domestic violence. They secured jobs in Atlanta and
approached our housing placement organization to request assistance in
finding a house they could rent by pooling their resources. Utilizing Special
Needs Housing Search access on GeorgiaHousingSearch.org, we were able
to advocate with a landlord sensitive to the plight of this family and willing
to negotiate a fair rent for this family to afford.
Housing placement organization dedicated to assisting individuals and
families experiencing homelessness, Atlanta, Georgia
Case Study 3 – New Jersey
• 4 years ago, rolled out NJHousing.gov free
trainings for 2-1-1 and cross marketing
• Today, nearly 4,000 landlords, 50,000 units
• A way to address complicated requests
during short call times
Case Study 3 – New Jersey
“I have been using NJHousing.gov to look for housing opportunities for
people with disabilities in New Jersey. I have always been able to find
many housing options on this site. There is a lot of information about
each property, allowing us to know if the person should pursue a
particular place or if it is not suitable. I recommend this site to anyone
who needs to find a place to live.”
Deb Flanagan-Support Coordinator Specialist,
New Jersey
Questions?