Are you a landlord who is looking for a way to partner with Solid Ground? You can help families experiencing homelessness get a new lease on life. Your participation is especially needed now since the pandemic decreased the amount of affordable housing and severely impacted the services offered to families experiencing homelessness.
Solid Ground is an award-winning nonprofit organization whose proven, holistic approach helps families build the strong foundations they need to emerge from homelessness into a brighter future. You can help make that future brighter by partnering today. We offer benefits to landlords such as no more vacancies and guaranteed, on-time income. We also prescreen renters and provide ongoing support to make sure your experience with Solid Ground families remains a positive one.
If you still don’t realize just how much of an impact you could make, read on about a partnership between Solid Ground and Aeon, a property management organization that believes “everyone deserves a home”.
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On a chilly April morning in 2020, Vanessa, a Solid Ground housing navigator, ventured out to look at a property with a mother who was caring for her son and two young grandchildren. This day was unlike any other. The world was facing a pandemic that had created an upheaval in the already strained affordable housing market. Housing was hard to come by, but also services for families experiencing homelessness were even more limited.
Solid Ground staff were working exclusively from home during this time which made the work of housing navigators even more difficult than normal. People were remaining in their homes given pandemic restrictions and income limitations. Affordable housing was already a challenge, but it had become exacerbated by the pandemic.
Vanessa had been looking for properties that provided good public transportation and amenities and were also income restricted. She happened upon Aeon properties in suburban Ramsey county and immediately called Kasey, a property manager there.
Kasey had started working with families experiencing homelessness six years prior while he was managing other properties. At the time he heard about Solid Ground, he was already interested in finding more opportunities to better serve families. This meeting between Solid Ground and Kasey at Aeon proved to be a game changer for both parties. Since that day, Kasey has rented to almost 15 Solid Ground families, and currently is housing 12 of these families.
Vanessa knows that times are tough right now and it is due partly to the lift in the rent moratorium. She’s worried that more families will lose their housing. “People are at a real risk of being evicted right now. Landlords are stricter and more protective over their units since the pandemic because rent wasn’t always guaranteed.” She says that there are even more barriers to housing. “Mental health and domestic violence, but also zero-income families, have all come out of the pandemic.” But she remains optimistic for the future because of her long-standing, positive relationship with Aeon. While she is saddened by the amount of turnover in the property management field she says it is comforting to know that Kasey is there, consistently wanting to help Solid Ground families find homes.
Kasey, for his part, enjoys being part of Solid Ground’s solution to homelessness, affirming “I admire your program because it lets families start higher on subsidies when they need that support the most. Then, as they gradually transition to more stability, they are acclimated to paying a fuller portion of the rent.” He also appreciates his ongoing relationship with Solid Ground. “My experience has always been positive. Both sides are getting what they need and we are keeping the best interest of the families we serve in mind as well.”
To learn more about how you can partner with Solid Ground as a landlord, click here.