Stratford Social Services asking area landlords for help in ending chronic homelessness by 2024

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If just 10 landlords offered to partner with Stratford social services by the end of this year to provide housing for people experiencing homelessness, the department would be one big step closer to its goal of ending chronic homelessness in Stratford, St. Marys and across Perth County by 2024.

That’s the message Stratford social services is sending to area landlords as it sets out to cut chronic homelessness by 10 per cent before the end of December.

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Stratford Social Services asking area landlords for help in ending chronic homelessness by 2024 Back to video

“We do have some landlords that engage with some of our programs – whether that’s our rent-subsidy program or through (our) program where there’s housing allowances available to our clients – but we’re really trying to do a bigger ask-out to our community and just put it out there that … we need to work with more landlords to secure more units,” said Alex Burgess, manager of Ontario Works at Stratford social services.

“We can’t do this alone. Even if we were to try and build more units, we still need private-market landlords involved and they’re an extremely important part of the work we’re trying to do to end homelessness.”

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By partnering with social services to provide housing to an individual or family experiencing – or at risk of – homelessness, landlords can take advantage of a number of assistance programs, Burgess said, including support with rent payments, potential help with paying off a tenant’s previous unpaid rent, financial compensation for damages beyond normal wear and tear, and ongoing support services for eligible tenants in the form of weekly check-ins by a partner organization or a member of the social-services outreach team.

Both landlords and tenants will also soon have access to the department’s upcoming RentSmart Landlord program, offered under the RentSmart Ontario umbrella, to provide both landlords and tenants with important information about their rights and responsibilities.

“The ultimate goal is to keep people housed, so we will work with (landlords) within reason,” Burgess said. “At the end of the day, they are still the landlords. The Residential Tenancy Act still does apply. They still sign a lease with the tenant who will be moving into that unit, so they still have those landlord obligations … but we are there to help mitigate some of those concerns.”

While those programs are well-intentioned and may seem like a good deal on paper, William Blake, a 20-year member of the Ontario Landlord Association who participated in a similar project, said landlords – especially smaller housing providers – need to have some kind of assurance from social services that support will be provided in a timely manner that doesn’t jeopardize what can be a main source of income.

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“(They) need to talk to small landlords about how to guarantee that, if (a) tenant (on a housing allowance, Ontario Works, the Ontario Disability Support Program or rent support) doesn’t pay after one month or four, five or six months, what happens then?” Blake said.

“People are avoiding these programs – not only in Ontario, but in other provinces across Canada – because they’re concerned that the institution, charity or government will help the tenant move in, they’ll help with rental payments, but once the situation goes belly up or the rent is late, what is the security for the landlord who has a mortgage to pay, who relies on that income? That’s one thing where the City of Stratford can go the extra step where other cities and towns have not.”

From personal experience, Blake said he was left on the hook for $5,000 in damages after he rented a basement unit to a tenant through a similar housing-support program, even though he had been promised reimbursement.

“As landlords, we want to help out, but if Stratford could make this program a little bit more helpful for landlords, protect us more, it could be the most successful program of this type in Ontario,” Blake said. “They have to reach out to real landlords and help them make sure we’re protected.”

Prioritized by their individual circumstances and ability to maintain long-term housing, Stratford social services identifies prospective tenants to be matched with area landlords using the department’s by-name list – a detailed and up-to-date database of homeless households and individuals in Stratford, St. Marys and across the county.

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While Burgess said there are no restrictions on the types of housing eligible for a partnership with social services, department staff will work with participating landlords to ensure whatever housing unit offered fits within the general range of affordability.

Stratford landlord Adam Wilhelm has been partnered with social services for the past two years, providing two housing units to tenants who would otherwise be at risk of becoming homeless.

“It’s been a good program. It’s good for the landlord; it’s good for the tenant. You get support from the city, which is nice and I’ve enjoyed it.  … It gives me some piece of mind because the city is backing it and you know you’re going to be taken care of if something does happen.  … There’s bumps in the road with all new tenants, so this is just an extra little bonus that the city is involved,” Wilhelm said.

While Wilhelm said he had to adjust how much he was charging for the units to make them more affordable, that extra level of support from social services, and the knowledge that he is helping his tenants maintain stable housing, has made the partnership a worthy endeavour in his eyes. He’s even considering adding a third rental unit into the mix.

Area landlords who have a vacant housing unit –  or will have one soon – and are interested in partnering with Stratford social services to provide housing for the homeless can contact housing liaison worker Maggie Clayton at 519-271-3773 ext. 279.

gsimmons@postmedia.com