HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
Metro Housing and property owners partner to help families who are homeless
By tapping into these resources, Metro Housing and the owners sought to reduce the amount of time it takes for families to exit the shelter system and find a safe place to live.
In early 2024, Metro Housing|Boston tested a new collaboration with property management companies to move families out of emergency shelter and into permanent housing. This innovative partnership leveraged available housing resources and policy changes to provide safe and stable accommodations for those in need.
Metro Housing worked closely with property owners to identify vacant apartments that could be rented to families in the emergency assistance family shelter system. By tapping into these resources, Metro Housing and the owners sought to reduce the amount of time it takes for families to exit the shelter system and find a safe place to live.
“Homelessness is a pressing issue affecting families in our region who are struggling to find shelter and support,” said Chris Norris, Executive Director of Metro Housing. "This collaboration underscores our commitment to finding innovative solutions to ensure that everyone in our community has access to safe and stable housing that they can afford.
Landlords who participated in this initiative provided crucial housing support to families in need, while maintaining market-rate rents for their properties. Families accessed essential support services and ongoing financial assistance for rent payments that mitigated financial risks for property owners. Furthermore, in addition to rent assistance, owners availed themselves of incentives, including up to $4,000 upon lease signing.
Trevor Samios, a senior vice president at Boston-based WinnCompanies, said that “As housing operators, this is trying to help the state through a crisis and, most importantly, helping families find a home after many months of not having one.”
That includes people like Yris, who spent two-and-a-half years bouncing between shelters and apartments owned by the shelter provider, Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath). She came to the U.S. in 2019 and lost the room she shared when she became pregnant because her landlord did not want a child in the apartment.
“It will just be a blessing to have our own place where we can be stable and that we can call home.” - YRIS
Earlier this year, using Metro Housing’s rapid housing program, she moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Brookline. It’s a place where she knows she’ll have access to good schools and plenty of playgrounds for her son.
“We’re very happy; I was smiling when I heard the news,” she said. “It will just be a blessing to have our own place where we can be stable and that we can call home.”