Brad Johnson, a landlord who has participated in Los Angeles County’s Homeless Incentive Program, tells attendees at an outreach event Wednesday that his experiences with housing homeless people has been a rewarding one.
During an outreach event Wednesday afternoon at the Salvation Army headquarters at 3000 Long Beach Blvd., the housing authorities of Los Angeles County and Long Beach presented information on the Homeless Incentive Program (HIP), which offers monetary incentives to encourage landlords to rent available units to homeless Section 8 voucher holders.
HIP is offering payment of rental application fees, holding fees to residential-property owners to reserve available units while applicants are referred, move-in assistance for new tenants and damage claims.
In addition to up to one month’s rent to hold units, landlords who participate will receive expedited housing-quality standard inspections, referrals to fill vacancies and access to funds for unit costs beyond normal wear and tear after the tenants move out. The City’s housing authority will also provide specialized staff to assist with concerns.
More than 120 landlords showed up for Wednesday’s event, according to city officials. Other agencies in attendance included the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of Long Beach and West Los Angeles, who provided staff to answer questions and distribute material on available services.
Long Beach Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, who also serves as the city’s Housing Authority Commission chair, said HIP is a great opportunity for landlords to get involved with combating homelessness because it helps to address concerns that property owners have with renting to that demographic.
“We recognize that housing this vulnerable population can come with challenges, and we are optimistic that this program will offset some of those challenges,” Richardson said. “I am excited about the opportunities this program provides for both landlords and tenants.”
Monique King-Viehland, executive director of the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles, emphasized the role of cooperation in addressing homelessness.
“Thanks to partnerships between local government, community organizations and landlords willing to end homelessness, we are making strides toward housing hundreds of individuals and families,” King said. “Landlords play a key role in these partnerships, and the County is prepared to support landlords in maintaining successful relationships with their tenants.”
Herlinda Chico, field deputy for 4th District LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, commended the landlords in attendance for taking time out of their day to find out more about the program.
“There are over 58,000 people living without homes here in the county of Los Angeles,” Chico said. “There are families living in cars, veterans sleeping on park benches and people who have just fallen on hard times, and now they’re in tents. This is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis. That’s exactly how Supervisor Hahn sees this.”
However, Chico pointed out the services available to help those experiencing homelessness, funded by County Measure H.
“In March [2017], voters overwhelmingly supported Measure H, a quarter-cent sales tax that is now raising $335 million annually to provide help to our homeless neighbors,” she said. “This means that we have funding for addiction-treatment services, mental-health counseling and expanding our shelters.”
Brad Johnson, a landlord who has participated in Los Angeles County’s Homeless Incentive Program, told attendees that his experiences with helping to house homeless people has been a rewarding one. He said, after graduating from UCLA, he knew he wanted to work in real estate and, about five years ago, made his first purchase— a four-unit property. He later bought another one then met an employee of the U.S. Veterans Initiative who introduced him to staff at the Long Beach Housing Authority and the Long Beach VA.
“He kind of educated me on Section 8,” Johnson said. “And I found out there’s a real need for affordable housing in the city of Long Beach. It started to give my investing a purpose. Now, I look today, and we own 36 units in the city of Long Beach, and over half of our tenants are either Section 8 [or] they’re veterans that are in the HUD-VASH program. […] For us, it’s an opportunity to educate other landlords, and I will volunteer my time to meet with any other landlord that needs explanation, that needs to be educated on the program. And then there’s also people at the Long Beach Housing Authority, and other resources that they have available, to help educate you on how to evaluate properties from a landlord’s perspective.”
The Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles initiated its program in early 2017 and has been hosting similar events throughout the county since February 2016, according to officials. Long Beach’s housing authority began hosting its own program in March of this year.
Landlords interested in participating in the City’s programs can visit haclb.org. Landlords interested in participating in Los Angeles County’s programs are invited to visit hacola.org.
