1. Barriers to Housing in Missoula MT. An in-depth look at landlords’ perspective of barriers to housing in Missoula MT.

2. Missoula’s Homeless According to Missoula’s 2012 Needs Assessment 516 total individuals were homeless in Missoula County 266 were individuals 250 were families 227 were males 288 were females 141 were counted under the age of 18 91 were veterans Source: Reaching Home Missoula’s 10 Year End Homelessness Plan

3. In Terms of Income 151 had no means of financial supports 83 had part time employment 49 had full time employment 37 had TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) 15 received unemployment 102 received government assistance Source: Reaching Home Missoula’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Some respondents claimed more than one source of income

4. Literature Review Two major trends Pathways into homelessness Loss of income Released from incarceration into homelessness Mental health Substance use/dependence Lack of supportive relationships Pathways into housing Rapid re-housing Early prevention programs Source: Reaching Home Missoula’s 10 Year Plan To End Homelessness

5. My Research My research seeks to understand the barriers individuals face getting off the streets and into homes. Barriers: these are issues that will keep an individual out of a home and on the street. My research looks at what ‘barriers’ will keep individuals out of homes and on the street My suppositions: Criminal records Bad credit Poor references Restricted income

6. Data Collection I interviewed local landlords from an available sample. Craigslist The Missoulian My Social Network For rent signs The Yellow Pages

7. Interviews Interviews were conducted: Primarily in person With more than one interviewer Interviews were done to accommodate the interviewees needs. Interviews were conducted until the saturation point was reached

8. Research Methods The data was collected using in-depth interviews Two open ended questions were used instead of surveys. “What are your experiences with renting to individuals with barriers.” “What are some things that can mitigate these barriers.”

9. Coding/Analysis Each interview was analyzed for specific barriers I compared them for common themes Each barrier was assigned a percentage value

10. Findings The interviews produced two sets of data. What barriers are most likely to end up in denial of application Ways of mitigating these barriers

11. Barriers Eight major barriers identified. Three barriers represented 10% or less of the total sample. The total sample included 20 participants 9 were independent landlords 11 were property managers

12. Barriers continued The eight major barriers are: 1)Poor references: 85% saw this as a barrier 2)Criminal records: 60% saw this as a barrier 3)92% specifically mentioned sexual and violent crimes as being a barrier 4)Bad credit: 55% saw this as a barrier 5)Low income: 50% saw this as a barrier 6)Security: 40% saw this as a barrier 7)Personal appearance: 35% saw this as a barrier 8)Restricted income: 20%

13. Barriers continued Barriers that consisted of 10% of the total population: 1)Using references specifically from the Poverello Center Staff: 10% 2)Race: 5% saw this as a barrier 3)Single parent with children: 5% saw this as a barrier

14. Barriers for Independent Landlords 1) Bad credit: 78% 2)Criminal record: 67% 3)Specifically mentioned sexual or violent offenses: 44% 4)Poor references: 67% 5)Low income: 56% 6)Security: 33% 7)Personal Appearance: 22% 8)11% saw Race, low income, single parent with children and references from Poverello Staff

15. Barriers for Property Managers 1) Poor references: 100% 2) Criminal record: 55% 3) Sexual/violent record: 64% 4) 45% saw security, personal appearance and low income as a barrier. 5) Bad credit: 36% 6) 9% saw references from Poverello Center Staff as a barrier.

16. Independent Vs. Property Managers There were several main differences between the two groups. However, there were also some similarities.

17. Independent Vs. Property Managers Criminal records: same view Sexual/violent offences: less for I.LL Bad credit: more for I.LL Poor references: less for I.LL Security: less for I.LL Personal appearance: less for I.LL Low income: was the same Other: Race: more for I.LL Single parent with children: More for I.LL References from Poverello Staff: was the same

18. Ways to mitigate barriers There were seven primary ways to mitigate barriers to housing 1) 55% suggested an advocate or someone to vouch for them 2) 30% suggested Having a good personal appearance A co-signer would help An insurance policy 3) 25% suggested having a team that could help maintain the property 4) 15% suggested introducing more educational programs anything a person can do to make themselves more appealing will help

19. Independent landlord ways to mitigate barriers Co-signer: 56% Having someone to vouch for them: 56% 44% A good first impression and doing anything to better themselves. Protection: 33% Educational programs: 22% A cleaning team: 22%

20. Property Managers ways to mitigate barriers 1) Having someone to vouch for them: 55% 2) Protection: 36% 3) Having a cleaning team: 36% 4) Doing anything to make themselves better: 27% 5)18 % having a good first impression and meeting the person face to face

21. Independent landlords vs. property managers views on how to mitigate barriers Protection: was more for P.M Co-signer: was more I.LL Educational programs: were more important for I.LL Having someone to vouch for them: This was almost equal between both groups Having a cleaning team: was more important for P.M Having a good first impression: was more important for I.LL Doing anything to make yourself better: was more important for I.LL Meeting the person: was more important for property managers

22. Issues The Social Desirability Affect Note taking methods.

23. Suggestions Insurance program Advocate network. Vouch for individuals Aid in maintaining cleanliness of home Educate individual on soft skills Positive support network

24. Thank You Casey Dunning and the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative Dylan Suagee Robby Gillison Dr. Kathy Kuipers