Variety of programs help create path to home ownership for Ypsi area residents

The Just Neighbors Interfaith Homeless Network’s Eviction Intervention Program helps tenants avoid eviction by providing financial assistance and referrals to legal representation and other social service agencies. When approved under the Eviction Intervention Program, Just Neighbors will pay the tenant’s past-due rent and rent going forward for a set period of time to give tenants some leeway while they get their finances back on track.

Rhino is a startup that partners with property owners to offer renters the option of paying the company a monthly fee instead of an upfront deposit. In exchange, Rhino insures the apartment against wear and tear damages. There is no approval process, Rhino covers anyone that a property owner approves to rent, but the renter’s employment status and credit score determine their monthly premium, which can be as little as $5 for a monthly rent of $1,000.

Milwaukee nonprofit Acts Housing is addressing the city's homeownership gap with a comprehensive model that combines HUD-certified education, one-on-one financial coaching, alternative lending and a property acquisition arm that competes with investors to preserve housing inventory for buyers. Over three decades, the program has helped more than 4,000 individuals and families purchase homes.

Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is being used to combat homelessness and housing insecurity by using federal dollars to provide affordable rental housing — like Desert Hope apartments — rental assistance for tenants and other supportive services for those experiencing homelessness.

The Homelessness Prevention Unit of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services launched a pilot program that uses artificial intelligence to make predictions about who is most likely to experience homelessness by tracking data like arrests, sign-ups for public benefits like food aid and emergency room visits so the county can step in to offer help before that happens. In over two years, the program has helped 560 people secure housing and avoid homelessness and a large majority of them have managed to maintain that housing.

Community solar projects like the Oxon Run Community Solar Farm in Washington D.C. give lower-income communities a chance to reduce energy bills while helping the city meet climate goals. These solar farms are typically set up on vacant lots and the electricity is directed to specific users through the grid instead of used onsite.

The Sewer Affordability Program helps low-income sewer customers is expanding and allowing renters to apply, offering a 40% discount for those who are eligible. The change will make an additional 20,000 customers eligible for the program, for a total of 40,000 newly eligible customers.

Washington State is pioneering savings accounts for people with disabilities that won't penalize them for saving for financial stability by barring them from essential federal aid programs. The accounts are tax-free and allow participants to save at least $15,000 a year, which can be withdrawn at any time or saved until retirement, with some limitations to who is eligible for the account. As word of the ABLE Savings Plan spreads, the self-supporting program is helping ensure that people with disabilities are not relegated to living in destitution to qualify for federal benefits.

When paying bail isn't a realistic ask of a defendant, many times the person will plead guilty to avoid jail time even if it means having a record. To solve the problem of the poor being unfairly punished by small crimes through the setting of a bail amount they can't make, The Bronx Freedom Fund offers charitable bail funds to those with a bail under $2,000.

A homelessness prevention program in Santa Clara County, run by nonprofit Destination: Home, provides targeted financial assistance, about $6,500 per household, to people at imminent risk of losing their housing. Using a risk-assessment questionnaire to identify eligible participants, the program has grown from a $1 million pilot serving 200 households in 2017 to a $30 million annual program serving 2,500 households today.