1. Supporting Renters Through Education: Building Successful Futures
Becky Hagen Jokela and Lori Hendrickson
Extension Educators, Family Resiliency
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2. Housing in Minnesota Nearly 600,000 Minnesotans rent housing.
The current housing climate across MN reflects a tight housing market in metro and rural areas.
Even median-income renters find a modest 2-bedroom apartment out of reach, paying over $1,300 per year more than they can afford.

3. Housing in Minnesota
From , renter households in Minnesota increased by 120,000 households.
In 2017, nearly 550,000 families spent more than 30 percent of income on housing.
In 2017, nearly 550,000 families spent more than 30 percent of income on housing. If we look at the next slide, we see. . .
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

4. Rent burden
The National Center for Children in Poverty (2011), defines rent burden as spending more than 30 percent of household income on rent.
On the last slide we stated that in 2017, nearly 550,000 families spent more than 30 percent of income on housing. Therefore, 550, 000 families in MN are rent burdened.
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

5. Rent burden
Rent burden impacts nearly 50% of Minnesota households (Colburn, G. and Allen, R. 2016).  
Households across the state spend thousands more than they can afford each year to pay for a modest apartment (Out of Reach Minnesota, 2017).
These factors combined create a rental crisis making the need for rental education even more critical.
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

6. What Is Rentwise?
A comprehensive curriculum intended to be taught in one-on-one or group settings
to those who would benefit education and skills to become a successful renter
Low income individuals
Individuals new to the country
Individuals new to rental living, including young adults
Individuals in transition
The RentWise program is specifically designed to help people at risk for having difficulty obtaining rental housing because of past problems. These problems may be due to lack of experience, stigma from having lived in public housing, poor rental history, poor credit history, or other issues that cause potential property managers to see them as high-risk renters.
The curriculum is uniquely designed to teach skills to assist renters as they avoid legal confrontations, stress dual responsibilities between renter and property managers, promote content to assist renters as they acquire, sustain and aspire to their housing needs and goals.     
The program has three units, Acquire, Sustain and Aspire, that teach the most useful and essential information. Renters who complete this program may earn a certificate showing property managers that they want to be successful renters. Active learning techniques are utilized to motivate and empower participants.
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

7. RentWise Unit 1 Acquiring Your Rental Housing
Determine Housing Needs/Wants
Estimating Income and Expenses
Reading a Lease Agreement
Using a Rental Checklist

8. RentWise Unit 2 Sustaining Your Home Environment And Relationships
Successful Communication
Understanding Normal Wear & Tear
Keeping Your Home Clean
Requesting Repairs

9. Rentwise unit 3 Aspiring to Your Future Housing Goals
Planning for Changes in Money
Matters
Understanding Renter’s Insurance
Obtaining a Certificate of Rent Paid
Ending Tenancy
Avoiding Eviction

10. Rentwise facilitator website

11. Reframing our work
Educators utilized the Spectrum of Prevention to design new RentWise program materials and evaluation resources

12. Spectrum of Prevention
Provide relevant information to renters and community partners
Identify participant concerns, emerging rental education needs
Inform stakeholders of affordable housing needs in MN

13. Spectrum of Prevention
A broad framework of 7
strategies to address complex
problems
Developed by Prevention Institute
Identifies multiple levels where initiatives may work in order to have collective impact and most significant results

14. Areas of Influence
Enhancing an individual’s capacity to promote change within themselves
97.6% of participants learned the benefits of having a cooperative relationship with property manager
97.6% learned the value of having secure housing
An example of work at this level is teaching a class to individuals. Evaluation at the individual level differs for every program based on anticipated change. The information on the screen reflects our consumer direct workshops (our train-the-trainer participants or community partners teach consumer direct classes.)
One participant stated, “ I am very grateful to have this program and it helped me in ways I really didn’t think I need.”
A provider indicated that the agency’s intent in using RentWise was to reduce barriers for those looking for rental housing.
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

15. Areas of Influence
Reaches groups of people with information and resources to promote family resilience
Educators have shared knowledge and program information through:
television interview
webinar
social media
RentWise Facilitator Website Community of Practice

16. Areas of Influence
Refers to delivering information to providers who transmit skills and knowledge to others
104 agency staff trained in workshops
39 agencies represented
58 staff had accessed RentWise Facilitator’s Website
Examples of work at this level include train-the-trainer events and teaching classes to those who provide services.
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

17. Areas of Influence
Convening groups of individuals to identify and work toward broader goals and have greater impact than could be done by an individual or single organization.
Staff collaborated with existing life-skills program
Collaborative enrolled participants at Community Connect event

18. Areas of Influence
Adopting organizational regulations, policies and practices that affect the ability to provide a positive environment to clients, while abiding by industry-related practices
RentWise Facilitator Website provides reporting tools for agencies to create reports reflecting their community program to share with stakeholders
In this case, we are embedding evaluation practice into what our community partners do when teaching. We are providing them the opportunity to share those evaluation reports and show where their impact takes place.
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

19. Areas of Influence
Development of content, messages, strategies aimed at informing how institutional or governmental policies are created, sustained or changed to enhance family well-being
Using RentWise reporting mechanisms, U of M Extension and community partners are able to share data to address housing policy change

20. Implications Intent is to provide & foster:
relevant information to renters, community partners
identifying relevant renter concerns and emerging needs
information for stakeholders
data to influence affordable housing policy in Minnesota
Spectrum of Prevention provides the framework to assess how we accomplish that work.
The Spectrum provides a dual focus in providing further understanding and sensitivity to the renter populations with which we work. As a check that we are indeed meeting the renter’s need.
© 2016 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

21. Conclusion RentWise helps community
agency representatives to help clients:
Learn to be successful renters
Find the best housing available to meet needs
Identify their future housing goals

22. References
Cohen, L. (1982). Spectrum of Prevention, Prevention Institute. Contra Costa County Health Department.
Hendrickson, L., & Hagen Jokela, R. (2017). RentWise. University of Minnesota Extension.
Minnesota Housing Partnership. (2017). Out of Reach Minnesota 2017.

23. Contact Information: