The big picture
The initiative through nonprofit Housing Connector and its Zillow-powered rental platform connects private property owners and managers with people in need of housing. The program is designed to reduce the barriers that can often make it more challenging to locate and qualify for their own units.
“Housing Connector’s model is a valuable addition to our efforts to increase housing opportunities in Austin. By bridging the gap between property owners and service providers, they bring a solution-oriented approach that benefits both landlords and residents in need," Austin Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray said in a statement.
The details
The $2.12 million program, funded with federal COVID-19 stimulus dollars, will run through 2026. It's anticipated to serve around 1,000 people by engaging hundreds of Austin properties to finalize new leases or renewals with clients over the coming two years.
“Right now, the vacancy rate is extremely high in Austin. Properties need to fill their units," said Nick Merriam, the nonprofit's vice president of strategy and operations, in an interview. "Housing Connector provides the support, the financial support, and the customer service so that businesses can both make an impact and house people in their property at the exact same time."
For those at risk of homelessness or already living on the streets, finding an apartment can be difficult given screening criteria, such as credit scores, eviction history or monthly income requirements. Shayna Dunitz, Housing Connector's managing director in Austin, said the nonprofit works with landlords to bypass some of those qualifications and offer financial support if needed.
“All of these are negotiable; we know that some properties are going to have different appetites for risk, and that’s OK," she said. "We work with them to just make things more accessible. And in exchange, we provide them with three months of emergency rental assistance for Housing Connector clients that are housed in their units."
The extra rent money can help if clients miss an individual rental payment, avoiding eviction proceedings and potential loss of housing. The program also covers some costs if units are damaged, as well as a mediation process, rather than eviction, if a lease needs to be ended early.
“Part of what we need to do as a community is to make sure that people don’t go into homelessness. And that starts at the unit level, making sure people stay in their units," Merriam said. "This is one way to accomplish that."
What else?
So far, Housing Connector has already involved 10 Austin properties with more than 2,000 total units. The nonprofit's Zillow-based tool helps streamline housing with updated, accessible information for those in need, according to the city.
Local involvement is expected to grow further in the months ahead, potentially through a partnership with the Austin Apartment Association and its network, Merriam said. Units will be filled through referrals by local service providers like the Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, and about a dozen case managers are already working to place clients in various residences.
“[Properties are] spread out, and that is intentional. We want to make sure that folks all over Austin who work with service providers and health care providers, etc., can live close to where their services are. And quite frankly, can live where they want to live. So we are looking all over," Dunitz said.
Housing Connector's arrival in Austin comes after years of work in Seattle, Dallas, Portland and Denver. The nonprofit's housed more than 9,000 people through similar programs in those cities, with about 90% staying in the same unit for at a year and less than 1% being evicted.
“We know that landlords need to pay their own bills. They have business goals, and we acknowledge that with them and say, ‘Here’s a solution for that.’ And that hasn’t always happened with programs or initiatives that worked with landlords in the past," Dunitz said.
