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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HOUSING BROKER TEAM TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN NEWPORT NEWS
Team will work with landlords and homeless families to identify affordable housing options
The City is establishing a Housing Broker Team, which will work to expand the availability of the existing affordable housing to those families facing housing barriers.
2009 Dec 17
Contact: Brandy Dudley, (757) 926-6683
Homelessness in Newport News, as in other localities, is on the rise. To address this growing concern, the City is establishing a Housing Broker Team (HBT), which will work to expand the availability of the existing affordable housing to those families facing housing barriers. The HBT will undergo training over the next few months and will begin accepting applications after training is completed.
Located within the Newport News Department of Human Services, the HBT will connect those who are homeless, or close to becoming homeless, with landlords to provide permanent housing. Once placed in housing, families must work toward self-sufficiency in order to receive ongoing rental assistance. Funding will be provided in part by existing funds currently used to place homeless families with children in motels, and from stimulus funds designated by the federal government to prevent homelessness and re-house those families experiencing homelessness.
The Team will consist of a Housing Specialist and a Housing Coordinator. The Housing Specialist will recruit and work with landlords to establish rental agreements that will take into consideration the typical housing barriers of homelessness such as availability, affordability, low income, poor credit history, or criminal backgrounds, etc. While the Housing Specialist will advocate for the landlord, the Housing Coordinator will work directly with the homeless families to assess their needs, work to create an individualized housing plan, and provide initial intensive case management, with ongoing case management also being provided. The Specialist and Coordinator will work closely together to match homeless families with the appropriate landlord.
The Newport News HBT is based on best practice models that have shown success in Virginia localities and in other states as well. The model is a long-term strategy to prevent homelessness by providing support for homeless families or those families in jeopardy of becoming homeless.
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