HANOVER TWP., Pa. — With much of the Lehigh Valley experiencing what officials have called a housing crisis, landlords from across the region last week converged to learn about programs to help people find homes — and help landlords who help them.
“The housing crisis that we're seeing right now, it's enormously challenging to find safe and affordable housing in the Lehigh Valley, as it is in many places across the nation,” Erin Connelly, associate vice president of impact at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, said before the event to learn about the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board’s programs.
- The Regional Homeless Advisory Board has introduced the Landlord Engagement Program
- The LEP incentivizes landlords to rent to homeless or at-risk people
- Landlords were able to ask and answer questions about involvement in the program
The event was Thursday at Valley Youth House’s headquarters in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
“One of the ways that we can help create more affordable units is to create really close partnerships with landlords who are not only interested in getting really good tenants, but also interested in giving back to the community, as well,” Connelly said.
Programs to help
Connelly explained that from the desire for partnerships with landlords emerged the Landlord Engagement Program, a network of landlords and social service agencies that looks to get people at risk of homelessness into stable housing.
Cattima Millsap, director of social services at New Bethany Ministries, explained some incentives the program can offer.
One is a $1,000 sign-on bonus for a landlord who leases to his or her first client through one of the Regional Homeless Advisory Board’s member agencies. The second unit will result in a $500 bonus, with each unit after that resulting in a $250 bonus.
"So it's basically like a two-in-one. It's a win-win not only for the landlord, but it's also for the tenant as well.”Cattima Millsap, director of social services at New Bethany Ministries
“We also have mitigation funding as well," Millsap said.
"If the housing that a tenant is moving into is not up to code, or up to the standard, we are able to provide $2,500 for that landlord in order to get them to get that house and compliance, HUD standards.
"So it's basically like a two-in-one. It's a win-win not only for the landlord, but it's also for the tenant as well.”
Millsap said the mitigation funding also is available to landlords to pay for damages that exceed the security deposit.
A message from Tina Hasselbusch, spokeswoman for the Regional Homeless Advisory Board, said the total amount of current grants supporting the landlord engagement effort is $240,000.
“When landlords join the network, they basically have access to all these agencies all over the Lehigh Valley," Connelly said. "And it's not a matter of everyone kind of having to create their own relationships.
"So again, it breaks down those barriers, in terms of now we know how many units are available. Now we can directly connect people to housing."
Help for landlords, too
Chuck Weiss, associate executive director for housing at Community Action Lehigh Valley (CALV), introduced programs available to landlords to help renovate their properties with grants in exchange for renting their units at lower rates.
The programs were put in place to help stimulate the affordable housing market.
"I was excited to see the landlords that showed up today that are willing to take the chance, because so many people just need the chance.”Aggie Schoenberger, landlord
Among the programs Weiss highlighted was the Whole Homes Repair Program, a state initiative that uses federal dollars to better repair entire units.
According to Weiss, CALV has been designated as the administrator for the $2.7 million that Lehigh County received. Northampton County administers its own funds.
Weiss also spoke about past weatherization and lead abatement grants, but said that the only active funds CALV has access to are the Whole Homes Repair Program dollars.
There also was a brief landlord panel in which several local landlords testified they experienced minimal issues with clients they had received through working with the Regional Homeless Advisory Board agencies, and that case managers were generally very responsive when issues cropped up.
Landlords Mahan Sandhu, David Shields and Demetrios Gouvalis were honored as “Landlord Network Community Champions” with congressional commendation certificates from U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley.
“I think it was great," Michele Albright, associate director of housing & emergency services at Valley Youth House, said after moderating the landlord panel. "I loved the questions and participation from the audience. I loved the things that people were able to share about their previous experiences with the program.”
‘It worked out really well'
One attendee, David Feinberg, expressed concern during the landlord panel about a tenant of his who had stopped receiving financial assistance from a local agency and had fallen behind in rent.
“I networked with a few people and I'm gonna reach out to them and see if I can get that tenant some help that she needs,” Feinberg said after the event.
“I've seen all sides of it. I've worked with homeless people who need to get an apartment. I've been a landlord, who's been concerned about what kind of folks go in.Aggie Schoenberger, landlord
Asked what he thought of the Landlord Engagement Program, he said, “I think it’s good. I've taken part in it before. And it worked out really well. And so I thought it would be good to just follow up and see if there was a follow up program for the tenant to continue getting the assistance that she needs.”
Aggie Schoenberger of Carbon County, another attendee of the event, said, “I've seen all sides of it. I've worked with homeless people who need to get an apartment. I've been a landlord, who's been concerned about what kind of folks go in.
"I just, I was excited to see the landlords that showed up today that are willing to take the chance, because so many people just need the chance.”
