Denver-Area Landlords Campaign Connects Residents with Affordable Housing
Metro-wide effort aims to recruit 120 new landlords to participate by year's end.
- Denver, CO (1888PressRelease) July 19, 2016 - A local mother of three who has been living in homeless shelters is resting easy tonight in her own home thanks to a nonprofit organization participating in a regional effort to recruit landlords willing to rent to struggling individuals and families.
The nonprofit, Family Promise of Greater Denver, helped the single mother, Jamie B., find affordable housing with assistance from the Landlords Opening Doors Campaign. Family Promise is one of several service providers participating in the campaign to help families facing homelessness find a safe and affordable place to live.
"It was a vicious cycle of being on the street and being homeless," Jamie said. Now "the kids are excited to have their own room and not have to share with their sister or brother or mom. It will be nice to have our own privacy." See Jamie's story: http://www.familypromiseofgreaterdenver.org/about-us/success-stories/
The campaign, established just one year ago by Brothers Redevelopment, the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI), the Metro Mayors Caucus and the Colorado Division of Housing, seeks to assist individuals such as Jamie and her three children, along with veterans, youth and other prospective, income-qualified tenants with housing vouchers find suitable housing in a tight, and often expensive, rental market.
The campaign's priority is to recruit landlords willing to lend a helping hand in the current Denver housing market by agreeing to accept housing assistance vouchers. Several incentives are available to participating landlords, including a new $200 "sign-on" bonus for landlords that launched this week.
"Landlords are doing great in this market, so why not take the opportunity to help out," said Errol Roy, a local property owner who manages more than 13 rental units and is one of the first campaign participants to receive the sign-on incentive. "The truth is, this is a win-win for everyone involved. The rent payments are guaranteed, and tenants are required to comply with detailed policies that include in-home visits from case managers," said Roy, who has worked with individuals experiencing homelessness in the past. "The incentives are an additional safety net, but more often than not, tenants with vouchers are great tenants who are overcoming a lot of different challenges."
In addition to the sign-on incentive, participating landlords can receive reimbursements for vacancies they experience during their participation in the program or for any damages by the tenant with whom they execute a signed lease agreement. The Metro Mayors Caucus has raised more than $65,000 from the group's participating jurisdictions to offer the bonus and other incentives. To date, nearly 100 property owners have offered their apartments to the effort.
"This program is so important to the families we serve. A large percentage of them have rental vouchers and struggle to find landlords who will accept assistance for an apartment within the family's budget," said Allie Card, executive director of Family Promise of Greater Denver. "The campaign solves both concerns. And everybody wins: Landlords receive respectful, long-term tenants, and families find hope and a brighter future in a home they can afford."
Property owners who are interested in renting their apartments to veterans and other low-income individuals or families can call 720.463.1713 or visit coloradolandlords.org, where they can commit units, sign a pledge to help a vet or other income-qualified homeowner, and learn more.
Additional information is also available via the housing helpline, Colorado Housing Connects, at 1.844.926.6632.
About Brothers Redevelopment (www.brothersredevelopment.org)
Established in 1971, Brothers Redevelopment is a Denver-based nonprofit organization that provides housing and a variety of housing-related services for the region's low-income, elderly and disabled residents. Given Brothers Redevelopment's strong record of meeting the needs of its clients, the organization is uniquely equipped to address the region's current and emerging housing issues. ( @ ) Bros_Redevelop
About Family Promise of Greater Denver (www.familypromiseofgreaterdenver.org)
Family Promise of Greater Denver is a 501(c)3 nonprofit independently associated with a national entity comprised of 200 affiliates in 42 states.
Family Promise partners with community organizations to provide shelter, meals and supportive services to families experiencing homelessness. The organization began serving the metro area in November 1997.
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