Sometimes the worst of times bring out the best in our efforts to help each other. That’s been the case at Connections for the Homeless, a non-profit organization in Evanston, Ill. that has delivered tremendous results over the last perilous year. “The three ribbons on our logo represent the three parts of our community that we partner with to do this work: our staff, our participants and our community supporters,” said Betty Bogg, Executive Director of Connections since 2015. “We see ourselves as the scaffolding by which community intentions for improvement can be constructed. We are there to help the community solve this problem.” Prior to the pandemic, Connections operated a tightly packed space in an Evanston church basement that sheltered a maximum of 18 male-identifying clients, on any given night. The agency also offered drop-in services to help engage community members experiencing homelessness via – sack lunches, showers, a clothing closet, and nursing care – in an effort to gradually build trust and rapport with participants who might ultimately be ready for housing assistance. “Even before lockdowns started, we were already discussing how we might respond (to the pandemic),” recalled Bogg, who is the sister of Yardi’s Nancy Bogg. “We knew we needed many more shelter beds. When Illinois’ shelter in place order went into effect, we didn’t know how we would do it or pay for it, but we decided we were going to put people with no place to go, into hotels for shelter.” Funding and finding, a path forward What happened next is a classic “if you build it, they will come” tale. In January 2020, Connections expected that its operating budget would be around $5.5 million, and it would again serve around 1,400 people with the help of 1,200 volunteers as they did in 2019. As for so many industries and non-profits worldwide, the pandemic changed everything. “We began our plan to place people in hotels, still not knowing how we were going to pay for it,” recalled Bogg. “We had about 100 people that we’d gotten off the street and into hotel rooms. And then we experienced a second wave of people in need of support who had been completely off our radar. People began coming to us who had previously been very precariously housed.” They included relatives of nursing home residents, who had been able to bed down on a relative’s couch or cot while helping to provide care. Another group was families who had been packed into shared small apartments with other families and found themselves pushed out due to COVID concerns. And there were those unusual but unforgettable stories like one cancer patient, who spent her entire life between chemo treatments on Chicago-area transit systems. “Her nurse told us that they could not believe the difference they saw in her health, as soon as she began getting three meals a day and sleeping in a bed every night,” recalled Bogg. She saw the experiences of those Connections helped firsthand, as for five months, she chose to live during the week at the same hotel where Connections provided 200 rooms of comprehensive emergency housing. They also provided three meals a day, which were purchased from local restaurants, pushing money back out into the local economy at a time when it was badly needed. Funding for hotel operations was made possible by support from private companies and individuals, including Yardi, who stepped up to help. Additional staffing was also a must, and Connections added 30 people to its team. Ultimately, the non-profit’s 2020 operating budget ended up being $12 million, more than doubling expectations. “Yardi had supported us with small donations in the past, but we were really surprised when suddenly that support increased substaintially right when we didn’t know how we were going to fund all that we were trying to do. The community response was incredibly inspiring,” Bogg said. Private...
Healthcare Providers
Help End Homelessness
A unique partnership may serve as a model to future affordable housing developments. Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente announced its partnership with Community Solutions of New York to end homelessness in 15 communities. The partnership’s unique approach offers sustainable solutions for chronic homelessness and lower costs for healthcare. The Recent Collaboration The Community Solutions program Built for Zero uses live data to identify the root factors of homelessness in individual communities. The organization uses that data to address the conditions that create homelessness–and stop housing insecurity before its onset. To fund the program, Kaiser Permanente will contribute $3 million over the course of three years. The funding empowers Community Solutions to extend its services to more than 70 communities throughout the United States. The organization’s current programs set benchmarks for success: nine communities have ended the cycle of homelessness for participating veterans and three have ended chronic homelessness for participants. In total, 103, 500 chronically homeless persons have received the resources and skills needed to end their plight. Beyond Treating Symptoms Safe, dependable shelter is essential for maintaining health. “Kaiser Permanente is investing in efforts to reduce homelessness and housing insecurity because there is a proven link between housing and health,” Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente said in an interview with Housing Finance. “Addressing affordable housing and homelessness is crucial to Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve and to advance the economic, social, and environmental conditions for health.” Ending homelessness comes with benefits for the healthcare system. Once admitted to hospitals, homeless patients stay longer and are more likely to be readmitted. A Boston study revealed that homeless patients are four times more likely to visit the ER than patients with stable...
50 Years of Advocacy
Social Housing Congress Convenes
The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association / l’Association Canadienne d’Habitation et de Renovatoin Urbaine (CHRA/ACHRU), held its 50th National Congress on Housing and Homelessness in Ottawa, Ontario from May 24 to 27, 2018. Yardi was proud to be a Congress Partner on this milestone year for the event. Peter Altobelli, Yardi vice president and general manager, spoke at the opening session and at the Yardi Awards Luncheon. Altobelli highlighted Yardi’s 20-year relationship with CHRA and focused on the importance of collaboration in the social housing industry. “At Yardi Canada, we have always been deeply connected with initiatives to help build our community and our industry. It is with the fruit of our growth that we further fuel the industry by supporting organizations such as CHRA / ACHRU that strive to bring a voice to affordable housing providers on a national level,” Altobelli said. Samyukta Jaishankar, team lead for Yardi’s Canadian marketing efforts, caught up with Jeff Morrison, executive director of CHRA, during the event. During their conversation, Jeff provided a behind the scenes look at how the 50th anniversary of the congress came together, what the internal goals were for the conference and how attendees would have the ability to shape the future with CHRA. “This year the challenge was that we had to do two competing things: reminisce and celebrate our evolution and success as an organization, as well as look forward to see what we can do with the future,” Morrison said. As part of the retrospective portion of the event, CHRA presented a video production which featured a historic look at the organization. Originating in 1968 as an offshoot of a National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials chapter from upstate New York, CHRA/ACHRU has since grown to represent Canadian social housing providers...
Digital Identity
Blockchain + The Homeless
In December, we named blockchain technology as one of the major trends for 2018. We were on to something. Even though blockchain technology is most often associated with cryptocurrencies, it has exceeded those applications. What is Blockchain? Blockchain is a digital ledger that records transactions in a series of blocks. It exists in multiple copies spread across multiple computers (nodes), impossible to tamper with thanks to the fact that each block of transactions (data) is linked back to previous blocks. Once you learn more about blockchain, it becomes clear that there are a vast number of uses available for the technology. Cryptocurrencies were only the beginning. Blockchain in the Real World The City of Austin is among the governments and private entities seeking ways to use blockchain technology to solve some of society’s biggest challenges. Currently, there are about 2,000 people struggling with housing insecurity in Austin. Several thousand more live in poverty. For people facing housing insecurity, identification documents are a serious challenge. Without safe storage, documents are easily stolen or lost. Securing housing, employment, and services becomes more difficult. The lack of documentation results in high costs, re-traumatization and diminished motivation. In July 2017, Austin received a $1.25 million three-year grant for research and development to improve existing homelessness services. With the funds, officials launched a pilot program that uses blockchain to help homeless persons protect their identities in the event that their IDs are lost or destroyed. Dubbed MyPass Initiative, the program is a partnership between the city of Austin, Austin-Travis County EMS and Dell Medical School at the University of Texas. The blockchain initiative will enable users to store information such as identification cards, social security numbers and medical history all in one virtual space. No matter where users show...
Housing, San Jose
Fighting Homelessness
The City of San Jose and Santa Clara County have developed a two-tier plan to mitigate homelessness, a crisis that plagues the region. The breakthrough began in 2014 when the County received funding through CalWORKS, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids. The program empowered 20 local agencies with $20 million to identify housing, provide rent and move-in assistance, and provide case management and services to residents. As of mid-2016, more than 4,000 families benefitted from the CalWorks grant. Yet CalWORKS and other supportive housing programs (SHP) face a formidable change. The shortage of affordable and low-income housing options continues to contribute to a growing number of residents without housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report reveals that Santa Clara County has: The third highest rate of unsheltered homelessness; The third largest number of chronically homeless person; The fifth largest number of unaccompanied homeless youth; The fifth largest number of homeless veterans; and The seventh largest number of homeless persons on any given night. In addition to ongoing CalWORKS and SHP programming, the City has recently committed to the construction of 533 permanent housing apartments for formerly homeless residents. The construction of those units, however, will take about four years. In the interim, the Shelter Crisis Act will fill the void. It is a five-year program that creates emergency shelters throughout the city. The model community, Bridge Housing Communities, has received approval from the City. The design includes community restrooms, common spaces, and cooking facilities. Residents will have access to onsite caseworkers that can connect them with resources that promote health and autonomy. Gensler architects issued the winning design, a 40-unit village with sustainable features. The next challenge is finding sites in each district of the city...
Positive Change
Fighting homelessness
What if you could help to end family homelessness? Not just through a single meal or a temporary residence but through a life-changing and habit-altering program for determined adults? Yardi employees in San Diego were able to do just that by volunteering with Solutions for Change. Vista, California is home to Solutions for Change, one of the nation’s only full service programs to end homelessness. To date, the organization has empowered 850 families in the San Diego area including 2,200 children. Solutions University is the key to the program’s long-term success. The university integrates affordable housing, job training, education, and wellness services. Participants work, pay rent, and attend educational classes that reinforce self-sufficiency. In about 1,000 days, participants can complete the program and emerge ready to end homelessness in their families for good. It is an empowering and effective program that has changed lives since 1999. Yardi participated in a home preparation project for Solutions University graduates. Before the official on-site project, Yardi San Diego team members prepared by collecting donations of much needed items. Cleaning supplies composed most of the donations as well as gift cards for additional home supplies. Team members also donated gift cards for the residents that would allow them to better equip their new apartments. For the on-site event, Yardi employees Melissa Krautwald, Larry Galang, Karen Detmar, Kathy Bretado, Tyler Dalsted, Louie Arzaga, Melissa Krautwald, Jeremy Hoover and Dave Chmelka volunteered. The team helped to “turn units” in preparation for two Solutions University families. Volunteers scrubbed bathrooms, mopped floors, and cleaned windows, walls, doors and door jams. Solutions for Change provided new dishware that the volunteers cleaned and stored. The units went from drab to fab in about three hours. “It was powerful to see some of the families that...
Housing Solutions
For Struggling San Franciscans
For a little over 100 years, Compass Family Services has worked to keep San Francisco families sheltered and protected from the vicissitudes of the city’s rental market. Bringing much-needed technological innovation to social services, San Francisco-based non-profit One Degree utilizes web and mobile platforms to create “modern, tech-driven solutions to the problems that plague the safety net of social services and nonprofit organizations.” One Home, a joint effort by Compass Family Services and One Degree, provides state-of-the-art property search software designed to help potential renters find a place that can house their family and fit their budget. By combining their efforts, Compass Family Services and One Homes hope to help the Bay Area’s most vulnerable citizens find a safe, stable place to raise their children and get their lives back on track. One Hundred Years of Service San Francisco sits at the epicenter of the nation’s affordable housing crisis. A tech industry boom combined with the allure of coastal California living has tightened the housing market and left many inhabitants struggling to find a home. For the area’s more economically challenged denizens, the most recent influx of well-heeled home buyers and high-end renters have pushed monthly housing expenses to unheard of levels, leaving many on the brink of homelessness. Dating back to the turn of the last century, Compass Family Services has dedicated its resources to assisting the city’s homeless and economically disadvantaged residents. With six programs serving more than 5000 parents and children each year, the organization’s tireless staff spends each day on the front lines of one of the nation’s tightest housing markets: the Bay Area. Compass Family Services provides housing, education and employments services to at-risk families. With 50% of their clientele under the age of 18 – and 90% below...
Silent Victims
Housing Young + Old
Awareness of the affordable housing crisis has grown exponentially inside of industry circles. Unfortunately, public awareness is still woefully low and solutions to the problem have yet to manifest. A new organization lead by Ron Terwilliger will collect data that can guide policymakers towards crisis resolution. Simultaneously, the data will help to protect the most vulnerable victims of the affordable housing crisis, America’s youth and seniors. “A legacy of the great recession, the rental affordability crisis is often overlooked by policymakers, ignored by the media, and underestimated, at best, by the general public,” announced Ron Terwilliger, former CEO of Trammell Crow Residential. Terwilliger reports that three-fourths of federal spending for housing supports homeowners, who generally have more than twice the income of renters. In contrast, federal rental assistance remains underfunded and only one-fourth of those in need are eligible for support. Of those in need, a growing number are seniors and children. Many people who cannot secure affordable housing face homelessness. Child homelessness is at a historic high. America’s Youngest Outcasts reports that homelessness impacts nearly 1 in every 30 children in the nation. This denotes an 8 percent increase in child homelessness between 2012 and 2013. The study ranked all 50 states according to the number of homeless children reported in the area. Causes for child homelessness include high poverty rates and a lack of affordable housing. “Living in shelters, neighbors’ basements, cars, campgrounds, and worse—homeless children are the most invisible and neglected individuals in our society,” begins Dr. Carmela DeCandia, director of The National Center on Family Homelessness. “Without decisive action now, the federal goal of ending childhood homelessness by 2020 will soon be out of reach.” Seniors are also silent victims of the affordable housing crisis. The number of seniors...
Sulzbacher Center
Ending Homelessness
Sulzbacher Center is Northeast Florida’s largest provider of comprehensive services for homeless individuals. The organization provides vital health, housing, educational, and career services to Jacksonville’s most vulnerable population. The organization adapts as the needs of the community change; what began as a center primary tailoring to chronically homeless men has expanded services to assist the growing number of homeless families. “We recently did a count in Jacksonville. While the amount of homeless veterans and chronically homeless individuals is going down in our city, the number of homeless families has increased,” says Allison Vega, Public Relations and Marketing Manager at Sulzbacher Center. The surge in homeless families began during the recession. “Families are often victims of crisis poverty,” begins Vega. “They lost jobs. They lost homes. They have nowhere else to go. This is the first time that they’ve ever been homeless. If you had asked me prior to the recession what had caused the majority of people to come to us, it would be substance abuse and mental health issues. Now, it’s overwhelmingly crisis poverty.” Sulzbacher Center created a family shelter with rooms that allow families to stay together. This facility houses about thirty families at any given time. Unfortunately, many families are placed on a waiting list. Families can obtain a variety of services through the center and its comprehensive campus of services. Primary care, dental, vision, and behavioral health specialists are on hand to provide on-site care. Families can seek counseling as individuals or as a group. Educational programming offers educational and emotional support to children who are facing one of the toughest phases in their lives. Though Sulzbacher Center has adapted to the increase in displaced families, the organization has not lost sight of its original demographic. The HOPE street team still makes...
