Courting landlords with vouchers: guaranteed incentives for willingness to rent to homeless

By Ken Magri | Solving Sacramento In an effort to get more homeless people into better living situations, several voucher programs offer opportunities that can transition the unhoused into temporary or permanent housing. Vouchers are part of a federal program funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that assists homeless, very low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities in finding housing within the private rental market.  But these programs need to find more landlords willing to accept such a rental arrangement between themselves and the government. On May 22, three local housing organizations hosted a panel discussion aimed at doing just that.  Panelists represented the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), the nonprofits Hope Cooperative and Sacramento Steps Forward, and two landlords who currently accept vouchers. About 30 prospective landlords heard details of how housing vouchers are awarded to qualified renters. The first panelist to speak was a former homeless person, Steven Seeley, who moved into permanent supportive housing four years ago with the help of the Hope Cooperative. “When I heard about the voucher program, I didn’t know what it was,” Seeley said. He explained that once he decided to change the trajectory of his...