Tools for Finding Housing Helping Clients and Landlords

Our clients All long-term homeless All have a physical, mental disability and/or chemical dependency Most have no rental history versus bad rental history Most have criminal records 60% African American 20% White/Caucasian 10% Native American 10% Other Race 18-23= 27 24-30=67 31-40-108 41-50= 175 51-61= 183 62+= 29 (FY 2016 at intake)

Our Clients

Our Clients

Our Landlords Over 300 landlords, 400 different properties Single family homes in Champlin to artist-lofts in downtown Minneapolis Majority small, private owners Few affordable housing companies

Tenant Screening Major tenant screening companies CoreLogic SafeRent, Rental History Reports, Multihousing Credit Control, Experian, Transunion Landlord must disclose prior to application: Application fee amount Ranges from $15.00 to $75.00 Address and telephone number of screening company Tenant Screening Criteria Criminal Background Requirements Credit History Requirements Rental History Requirements Income Requirements

Tenant Screening- Criminal Background Common question on application: “Have you even been convicted of a crime?” Landlords expect: No felonies for 10 years No charges, convictions or arrests for 7 years Lifetime disqualification for murder, arson or sex offense No open cases or unpaid fines No crimes against property (trespassing, damage to property, breaking and entering) Commonly fall into the category of “homeless crimes”

Tenant Screening- Credit History Common question on application: “Have you ever filed bankruptcy?” “Have you ever had a property foreclosed upon?” “Do you or have you ever had an account in collections?” Landlords expect: No history of late payments No monies owed to previous landlords When clients owe, typically over $1000.00 No open collection accounts for utilities Electric, gas or water bills Also includes phone and cable bills

Tenant Screening- Rental History Common question on application: “Have you ever been evicted, asked to vacate, or refused to pay rent?” Landlords expect: At least 2 years of verifiable rental history No history of U.D.s (ever or typically for 7 years) No history of lease violations Positive references from previous landlords

Tenant Screening- Income Common question on application: “Do you make at least 3 times the rent in income?” Landlords expect: You will pay no more than 30% of your income towards rent Income can be verified in writing from a 3rd party Ability to verify income from a current and previous employer 2 years of employment history

Our Clients Do Not Meet Most Rental Criteria How to combat deficiencies in meeting rental criteria? What can we do to improve our chances?

What Works at St. Stephen’s Drop-in Housing Location Meetings In these meetings we search for housing, but also: Review preemptive background checks Practice communication skills Reflect on non-verbal skills Discuss appearance and chemical dependency issues

Our Experience with Preemptive Background Checks Sept. 2014- Sept. 2015 Paid $6097.00 in application fees Submitted 263 applications 187 approved 76 denied 71% success rate Sept. 2015- Sept. 2016 Paid $4510.00 in application fees Submitted 260 applications 221 approved 39 denied 85% success rate

Preemptive Background Checks- Landlords For landlords: This is a business and time is money! Providing background checks upfront: Prevents lengthy wait times for reports to come back Helps landlord with vacancy Fewer showings and application appointments Builds trust and transparency between agency/landlord Landlord feels nothing is being hidden Landlord can ask questions directly to client

Preemptive Background Checks- Clients Client are prepared to explain criminal and rental history Not surprised by findings Do not stumble over reporting their background Clients and Staff can role-play explaining their background Can practice communication skills in a safe place

Explain that I was a property manager so I have experience reviewing background checks and understand what landlords/companies are looking for when reviewing

Reflecting on Non-Verbal Skills Staff can see how client communicates non-verbally Dan will not shake hands; he is worried about germs Sharon won’t make eye contact; she is a victim of abuse Michael has questionable boundaries

Discussing Appearance and Chemical Dependency Concerns Staff can see how clients dress and manage addiction Ralph always wears clothing with marijuana emblems Kelly is an alcoholic Mary is on methadone and nods-out during meetings

Thank you