{"id":28642,"date":"2021-03-30T05:45:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T12:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=28642"},"modified":"2021-03-29T17:56:01","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T00:56:01","slug":"stepping-up-in-greater-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/stepping-up-in-greater-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"Stepping Up in Greater Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes the worst of times bring out the best in our efforts to help each other. That\u2019s been the case at Connections for the Homeless<\/a>, a non-profit organization in Evanston, Ill. that has delivered tremendous results over the last perilous year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Betty Bogg, Executive Director of Connections since 2015. \u201cWe see ourselves as the scaffolding by which community intentions for improvement can be constructed. We a\"\"re there to help the community solve this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u00ad\u00advia \u2013 sack lunches, showers, a clothing closet, and nursing care \u2013 in an effort \u00a0to gradually build trust and rapport with participants who might ultimately be ready for housing assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven before lockdowns started, we were already discussing how we might respond (to the pandemic),\u201d recalled Bogg, who is the sister of Yardi\u2019s Nancy Bogg. \u201cWe knew we needed many more shelter beds. When Illinois\u2019 shelter in place order went into effect, we didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funding and finding, a path forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

What happened next is a classic \u201cif you build it, they will come\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cWe began our plan to place people in hotels, still not knowing how we were going to pay for it,\u201d recalled Bogg. \u201cWe had about 100 people that we\u2019d 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

They included relatives of nursing home residents, who had been able to bed down on a relative\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer 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,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 2020 operating budget ended up being $12 million, more than doubling\"\" expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cYardi had supported us with small donations in the past, but we were really surprised when suddenly that support increased substaintially right when we didn\u2019t know how we were going to fund all that we were trying to do. The community response was incredibly inspiring,\u201d Bogg said. Private funding allowed Connections to test out the hotel-based model and see that it worked, while preparing to transition the effort to a largely public-funded effort long term.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe private philanthropy that lifted us up in the spring of last year now has allowed us to transition this to a more sustainable funding model. It\u2019s been incredibly impactful,\u201d Bogg said.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, in 2020 Connections served 3,396 individuals, housing 364 in hotels, with the help of almost 80 staff members and more than 1,700 volunteers. \"\"That wasn\u2019t all. They also kept over 1,000 residents in their homes with eviction prevention efforts and invested around $5 million to the local economy through payments to restaurant partners, hotels, landlords, and employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always been a force for social good, but now we\u2019re truly a force for economic good,\u201d noted Bogg.<\/p>\n

Supporting landlords and preventing evictions<\/strong><\/p>\n

A key component of Connections\u2019 mission is preventing homelessness before it even starts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have always done work in this area, but last year there became even more need and necessity,\u201d Bogg said. \u201cEviction is a cause of, not a result of poverty. It costs us as a society so much more money if someone becomes homeless \u2013 up to $60,000 a year in public services. If we can get them caught up on their rent and continue to maintain stable housing, that is the best option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Job losses, large medical bills and other unexpected setbacks are the typical causes leading to unpaid rent and subsequent evictions. The pandemic put thousands of low-income families in such economic jeopardy. Working with renters and landlords, Connections was able to help by paying $1.6 million in rent, mortgage, and utility bills, keeping 1,00 people in their homes. They tripled the size of their eviction prevention team and hired a community organizer.<\/p>\n

In 2021, they are launching a new program called the Landlord Risk Mitigation Pilot which will work with landlords of all sizes \u2013 from one unit to thousands of apartments. \u201cLandlords are people too, and they have mortgages to pay. A big landlord can afford some missed rents, but a small landlord cannot,\u201d Bogg said.<\/p>\n

The program provides financial mitigation and dialogue to landlords if a person falls behind on rent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll help catch them up, as well as enter into mutual agreement with the renter on terms for future housing,\u201d Bogg explained. There is also education provided on the renter side on financial planning, how to be a good neighbor and how to work communicate constructively with a landlord.<\/p>\n

The non-profit funding is separate from the millions of dollars in federal household and landlord relief that is now being distributed by governments like the City of Chicago and Cook County. Connections is also involved in that effort as a technical facilitator, and helps potential recipients apply for assistance online.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis area is just an ever-growing need. Often those who need this assistance don\u2019t have online access or a computer at home. They\u2019re able to walk into our office and apply for help here,\u201d Bogg said.<\/p>\n

What comes next<\/strong><\/p>\n

While pandemic concerns are still predominant for Bogg and her staff (the day we interviewed her, she was excited about her team receiving their second round of COVID-19 vaccinations the next day), they are now looking forward to how increased awareness in and support from the community will fuel future growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is more attention now focused on people in horrible circumstances than there was before the pandemic. There is attention from the community, municipalities and society that we never had before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In addition to ramping up their efforts on eviction prevention, a near-term goal is for Connections to purchase a hotel or apartment building that would enable them to provide short-term housing without paying hotel rates. The hotel stay model isn\u2019t economically feasible long term, but the need for immediate shelter will be ever-present. They are searching for a location with about 50 rooms, which is a sustainable size for support and staffing.<\/p>\n

Connections is also ramping up its advocacy efforts in the North Shore communities it serves with a program called Joining Forces for Affordable Housing. The intent is to focus on affordable housing as a solution to homelessness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pandemic has really allowed us to hone in on what we need the mission of that program to be,\u201d Bogg said. \u201cWorking with our landlord partners, we are collecting data so that these communities can work forwards more affordable housing. Ultimately, the lack of affordability is impacting our ability to get people into sustainable housing situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

With so many initiatives moving forward, it seems like Connections\u2019 work may never be finished. But Bogg is very proud of what they\u2019ve achieved over the last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that we jumped in with both feet is a testament to our team and their commitment,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople want to help fund your work when you DO THINGS. Having impact is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about Connections for the Homeless and see how you can contribute to their ongoing efforts to prevent homelessness<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes the worst of times bring out the best in our efforts to help each other. That\u2019s 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. \u201cThe three ribbons on our logo represent the three parts of our community that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":413,"featured_media":28649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1717,3354],"tags":[212,2808,792,98],"class_list":["post-28642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","category-team-yardi","tag-chicago","tag-covid-19","tag-homelessness","tag-yardi-corporate-philanthropy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sometimes the worst of times bring out the best in our efforts to help each other. 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