1. Navigating Housing Barriers and Resources
Homecoming
Navigating Housing Barriers and Resources

2. Ivy Peterson East, MFA
Director of Supportive Housing at Perspectives, Inc.

3. Learning Objectives
Strategies for supporting families recovering from homelessness
How to research Unlawful Detainers histories and address them with future and past landlords
Where to find basic tenant education
Case Study

4. Housing is the Foundation
I have worked in the Supportive Housing field for 10 years, and with highly mobile families for 15 + years
Access to stable housing is the #1 issue for families (IMHO)
Stable housing always leads to other areas of stability, even if it doesn’t look like it
Home is what you make it—everyone has their own idea of what home is
Part of our job might be to help people learn what home is to them

5. Quick facts
In 2017, roughly 360,867 people were homeless ( america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-report/)
Across the country, we need more shelter beds, transitional housing, and affordable housing ( homelessness-report)
Homelessness and health issues, including mental health and substance abuse disorder, are closely tied together. One often leads to the other and vice versa. (
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) are very strong predictors of future homelessness; homelessness itself is an ACE (

7. Landing
Sometimes having a home feels uncomfortable for formerly homeless people
Co-sleeping, sleeping on the couch is very common
Food and money management looks different now
Nutrition needs are different at home vs. streets/shelter
Sometimes having a home creates new problems for the family (unwanted guests, money management, need to tenant education, rent payments etc.)
Furniture is so important! Everyone needs a bed, sheets, etc.—reach out to local resources (resource list included at end of presentation)
Family photos are an inexpensive and very powerful for a family’s healing
Part of our job might be to help people learn what home is to them—creating family rules, schedules, etc.
Empowering the family to commit to their new home, and accept stability

8. Landing, part 2
Domestic Violence Concerns come up—connect families to Safe at Home Program
Sometimes things get worse, at first:
Children's behaviors sometimes flare, due to change and trauma triggers
Parents mental health, chemical health needs sometimes flare
When we feel safe, we stop hiding—don’t be surprised to learn the family has much deeper need than previous assessments
Part of our job might be to help people learn what home is to them—creating family rules, schedules, etc.
Empowering the family to commit to their new home, and accept stability
Utilities bills catch up! Upon move-in, its very common for old utility debts to follow the family
Sometimes people are ashamed to ask questions about home-making—best to assume, instead of waiting to be asked for help
Cleanliness is in the eye of the beholder
So is order—what looks like chaos to us might be reasonable to others
Cleanliness/hording standards education

10. Unlawful Detainers Look them up on MN Courts website Address them
after 7 years, they are usually gone
Address them
Ignoring them won’t help—denial will only slow you down
Offer money to the previous landlord and GET A RECIEPT
Help your client write a letter of explanation about their UD—not an excuse, but an explanation
Write a letter of support for future landlords
Find old landlords
Google, social media, etc.
Old landlords WANT to be found
Local resources can help with past debts—churches etc.

11. Tenant Education Resources
Rent Wise from the U of MN
RENTWISE ( finance/housing/rentwise/curriculum/)
Both free and paid editions
Certificate included with participation
This is great “proof” for potential landlords

12. Housing Resources MN Courts http://pa.courts.state.mn.us/default.aspx
Housing Link (for “affordable housing”)
Affordable Housing MN search/Minnesota
Section 8 Waiting Lists waiting-lists/Minnesota
Section 42 Information

13. Housing Case Study Two Parent Household, 5 children; mom pregnant
Has Section 8 voucher, looking for a place
Barriers: low income, large family, limited financial resources
Strengths: two parents, sobriety, lots of services while at Perspectives, have fairly reliable transportation