Learn about innovative housing solutions and best practices. Plus, register for November community of practice meetings.
Refugee Housing Solutions’ Housing Best Practices Toolkit Project Template
As the challenges of finding safe, affordable housing for newcomers to the U.S. have grown during the past few years, so too have the number and variety of housing innovations. To highlight these innovations, RHS created the Housing Best Practices Toolkit. By completing the toolkit, innovators can inspire resettlement stakeholders to help address the U.S. housing shortages.
Distinctive among those who have shared their innovations is the TRiO Plus Project in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). TRiO Plus’ innovation reduces housing costs for the community’s most valuable and underpaid workforce: public school educators. TRiO improves teachers’ experience with an easy-to-navigate affordable housing marketplace which includes supports such as guarantees for those with low credit scores, low-interest security deposit loans for those who cannot afford upfront costs, and free financial coaching. In completing the Housing Best Practices Toolkit, TRiO Plus emphasized that there is “real opportunity to intentionally support refugees to become OUSD employees and to provide affordable housing support to serve their communities.”
If your organization – or one that you know of – has innovated a housing solution for any vulnerable group of people, please download and complete the Housing Best Practices Toolkit Project Template. Then, send the completed document to lwilson@cwsglobal.org.
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Featured Resources
Get Involved
Discover opportunities to join a regional housing community of practice or become a member of the National Housing Working Group. Plus, don't miss out on our upcoming webinars and live trainings.
2023 Annual Feedback Survey
To continue increasing our impact, we kindly ask for your feedback on your experience with RHS’ technical assistance, live trainings and webinars, resources, regional housing communities of practice, and the National Housing Working Group.
We value your input and would be grateful if you would complete this survey. It should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. Your input is crucial; thank you in advance for your participation.
Upcoming Webinars & Meetings
November’s regional housing community of practice meetings will feature the Welcome Co-op: a nonprofit that secures and sets up housing for all four refugee resettlement agencies in Atlanta. RHS is excited to feature Welcome Co-op Executive Director Emily Walters Laney as a speaker at each meeting in November.
Please note that if you cannot join on the day that your region meets, then you are welcome to join another region’s meeting.
Policy News
Michigan Announces Newcomer Rental Subsidy Program
The State of Michigan launched a Newcomer Rental Subsidy program on October 23 that will provide $300 to $500 to refugees and other immigrants for up to 12 months. This new program leads the way for all states to include refugees and other newcomers to the U.S. in their affordable housing programs.
Approved by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), funding has been secured by the State authority itself, the Housing Community Development Fund, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The Office of Global Michigan has designed a landing page for the Newcomer Rental Subsidy that defines eligibility based on immigration status and household income. The application can be downloaded, completed, and mailed or submitted online.
