Landlords express interest in new Linn County pilot program offering incentives to take on ‘housing-challenged’ tenants

Background

CEDAR RAPIDS — Linn County’s Alliance for Equitable Housing in October unveiled plans for a pilot program, funded by Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust, that would provide financial incentives to Linn County landlords to offer housing to individuals who have had difficulty getting approved for leases in the past.

The coalition’s program, called the Landlord and Tenant Success Initiative, aims to house 30 individuals using $100,000 in funding from the bank. The tenants are individuals who have a history of being denied leases because of past evictions or criminal history but who qualify for Rapid Rehousing — a federally funded program that provides short-term assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness — through Waypoint Services, a Cedar Rapids housing services nonprofit.

“We're looking for folks who have had a really difficult time being rented to in the past,” Waypoint Services Landlord Liaison Adrienne Kasner said.

The program provides landlords who accept the new tenants with a $1,000 cash bonus, and by setting aside a risk-mitigation fund that landlords would use to pay for charges that might be incurred because of the tenant — such as repairing damage or paying for nuisance charges or the cost of an eviction filing should that become necessary.

Tenants also are asked to attend case management and tenant education classes and be financially compensated up to $700 for attending. Case managers will inspect the leased unit once a month and bring concerns to the landlord.

What’s happened since

The program officially opened less than a month ago, Nov. 20, to interested landlords, but so far no landlords have been connected with prospective tenants.

Kasner said almost 20 landlords have reached out to learn more about the program, and she is working with them to answer questions and determine how best to connect them with potential tenants.

“Right now, we have a lot of folks who seem very interested and are just through what units they have available and which ones they want to offer up,” Kasner said. “I don’t have anyone yet who is 100 percent … but several folks who are really interested.”

There’s no application deadline for landlords, and the program will remain open until the funding runs out.

One of the main questions Kasner said she has gotten from landlords is whether tenants they already have in their units could qualify for the incentive program. Already established tenants don’t qualify for this program, but Kasner has been able to help direct many of those people to other Waypoint services.

“I think a lot more landlords would be interested if they actually knew what it could look like for them. That's definitely what I'm trying to focus on right now, is explaining the program to people and trying to get them reeled in a little,” Kasner said.

Waypoint has put together a list of potential tenants for the program, who are all people who are working with case workers already through the Rapid Rehousing program. Once landlords have been identified who are willing to participate and have space available, Waypoint will match them with a tenant. The potential tenant will be required to complete an application process — one a landlord normally uses — through Waypoint.

Landlords “have their own application process, and tenants will be expected to go through that, and they're allowed to screen however they choose to screen. We're not forcing landlords to go into something that they're not comfortable with,” said J’nae Peterman, the homeless systems manager jointly funded by Cedar Rapids and Linn County.

The program aims to set tenants up for a 12-month-lease, but Peterman said she knows some landlords aren’t comfortable with committing to a full year. The program could be adjusted to start with a three-month lease — and a $250 cash bonus for the landlord — and then extended if everything goes well, she said.

At the end of the first year, the landlord would get an additional $500 if the lease is extended for the next year, and then the program would end for them — although the landlord and tenant both would still have access to Waypoint’s caseworkers and liaisons.

“I’m definitely super excited about it. We’re still at the very beginning of it, so I think once we get a couple people going, then it’ll give it more credibility and we’ll have more landlords thinking, ‘OK, I’m not the first one.,” Kasner said.

If this initial pilot program is successful, Kasner said she hopes to seek funding from additional sources to make it a permanent part of Waypoint’s services.

“We definitely want to see how well it does, and we want to give it as much of a solid try as we can. There are similar programs in other places that have been successful, and we would love to see that happen here,” Kasner said.

Landlords who are interested in the program or have questions about it can contact Kasner via email at akasner@waypointservices.org, or via text or phone call at 319-531-9352.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com