September 18, 2024 • 27 mins
Ever wondered how the United States can better address the homelessness crisis? This episode of "Make the Leap" promises eye-opening insights as we welcome Kelsey Fox, the dedicated Director of Housing and Community Solutions at the United Way in Delaware County, Ohio. Kelsey guides us through her journey from public relations to becoming a passionate advocate for housing stability, sharing inspiring stories and impactful initiatives like the Delaware County Housing Alliance and a young adult transitional living program. Hear firsthand about the urgent need for emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as the poignant accounts of those living on society’s margins, including an emancipated youth forced to live in his car.
As we navigate the complexities of housing assistance programs, Kelsey sheds light on the hurdles low-income individuals face, from cyclical voucher availability to overwhelming eligibility criteria. We challenge societal stereotypes about homelessness, particularly focusing on single mothers and children, and discuss the role of communities in promoting affordable housing through campaigns like YIMBY. The episode also tackles systemic issues, such as the impact of racism on housing insecurity and the importance of creating walkable, affordable communities. Join us for a thorough exploration of how we can equip individuals and communities with the resources to navigate housing crises and foster thoughtful, inclusive development.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to Make the Leap, a podcast focused on the
many economic hurdles facingcollege students, lower income
individuals and those strivingto move up the social ladder.
I'm Brad Constant, here withGeorge Grayup and Kristen Beale.
(00:32):
George, what are we talkingabout today?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Thank you, brad.
Today, our topic ishomelessness.
Homelessness has surged andreceded throughout the nation's
history.
While there are many drivers ofmodern day homelessness, it is
largely the result of failedpolicies, severely underfunded
programs that have led toaffordable housing shortages,
wages that do not keep up withrising rent and housing costs,
(00:55):
inadequate safety net, lack ofaccess to quality health care
especially mental healtheducation, economic opportunity
and mass incarcerations.
In effect, more than half ofthe Americans live paycheck to
paycheck and they're simply onecrisis away from homelessness or
some form of housing insecurity.
Homelessness in the UnitedStates is an urgent public
(01:17):
health issue and a humanitariancrisis.
It impacts cities, suburbs,small towns in every state.
Housing is a social detrimentof health, meaning lack of it
has a negative impact on overallhealth and life expectancies.
Tens of thousands of people dieevery year due to dangerous
conditions of living withouthousing.
People who experiencehomelessness die nearly 30 years
(01:38):
earlier than the averageAmerican, and often from easily
treatable illnesses.
Even though Ross students donot encounter homelessness on a
consistent basis, it is a topicthat they face and they deal
with at some point in theiradult life, and so today, this
is where we're going to spendthe next 30 minutes talking
through homelessness, resourcesavailable and opportunities to
(02:00):
hopefully prevent our studentsfrom having to face us in their
day-to-day life.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Thanks, george.
I'm looking forward to chattingwith our guests and diving into
this topic.
So, kristen, I'll turn it overto you.
Who do we have the pleasure ofchatting with today?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Thanks, brad.
Today we're going to bespeaking with Kelsey Fox, who's
the Director of Housing andCommunity Solutions at the
United Way.
I became familiar with Kelseythrough my work as a violence
prevention educator at Helplinein Delaware, ohio, and then
became more familiar with herthrough the Peace Collaborative.
(02:33):
I think is where maybe I firstmight have met you, Kelsey.
So let's go to Kelsey first.
Kelsey, thank you so much forjoining us.
We're grateful that you're here.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Thank you very much for having me and for the work
you all are doing.
I think bringing some light tothis topic is incredibly,
incredibly helpful, especiallywhen we're talking about our
young people who are enteringcontinuing education.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Kelsey.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your background and what
got you to your role andinterest in?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
housing I'd be happy to.
I'm very fortunate to have comeup through a public relations
background which has enabled meto be just a little bit
dangerous to know a little bitin every topic.
So working in the publicinformation's office for our
local health department in amid-sized community outside of a
(03:22):
larger scale city introduced meto a large network of folks who
are working on a number ofsocial determinants that
constitute public healthconcerns.
The initial topic was hunger.
We have worked with lifelonglearning, stability, wellness,
both physical and mental health,and our role in the community
(03:45):
really is to listen to andaddress what the largest need is
, and we all know, following thepandemic, the affordable
housing crisis was front andcenter.
We were able to engage inemergency rental assistance
while we were simultaneouslylaunching the Delaware County
Housing Alliance in ourcommunity, alongside opening a
(04:07):
young adult transitional livingprogram.
Now the transitional livingprogram is very unique when you
look at the continuum ofresources available for housing
and housing stability.
Most communities are a part ofa continuum of care based out of
a region in their state, out ofnational resources available
(04:29):
from the HUD department, rentalassistance whether that is
something specific as far as ashelter determination that has
(04:50):
to do with a domestic violence,human trafficking, emancipating
youth background.
There are many specializedspaces to stay.
There are also rapid rehousingprograms that allow for folks
who maybe don't need to be in ashelter environment but can be
moved quickly and with step-downrental assistance, through that
same continuum of care.
(05:10):
On the other end of thatspectrum we have tons of
developers who are working tocreate additional affordable
housing and looking at differentmodels that really benefit the
whole community.
Now, with any of this, anyadditional social determinants
or any other identifiers thatwould place someone in the
(05:35):
margins.
That would make it moredifficult and create more
barriers for them to succeed.
There's additionalconsiderations for that in a lot
of these programs, but theprograms aren't happening as
quickly as we would like them to.
United Ways are not typicallydirect service providers.
When we are looking at solvingcommunity problems, a lot of the
(05:56):
traditional model is to goahead and provide financial
assistance to someone who can.
One of the reasons I'm stillwith this particular United Way
is because we don't leave it atthat.
If we aren't able to findanother agency to partner with
that can take on the solution tothe problem, we will go ahead
and help provide that service.
So we were able to engage witha lot of really incredible young
(06:20):
adult transitional livingprograms while we were preparing
to open our own, and thestories that these young people
are able to provide is justabsolutely incredible.
I have one particularemancipated youth that comes to
mind when we're talking aboutthose stories.
The way this young person gotconnected with us in the first
(06:41):
place was taking a survey.
It was a follow-up survey as anemancipated youth at the age of
21.
When they were going throughand identifying different
components of his experience, itasks about current housing.
While his current housing wasliving in the car he was using
to door dash, frequently usingthe items that he had picked up
(07:05):
to deliver to other people aswarmth because it was the winter
in the Midwest.
This young man was then able tobe identified and get connected
with a shelter service Througha shelter service, because
transitional housing isn'temergency shelter.
It serves a very specific nichein between supportive housing
(07:28):
and the sheltering system.
They were able to go ahead andrefer him to us Otherwise and
the sheltering system.
They were able to go ahead andrefer him to us Otherwise.
This may be someone who slipsthrough the cracks Talking about
your experience at HelplineKristen.
Having the knowledge of 211 forfolks to even be able to call
and ask the question is so vital.
Being able to raise awarenessfor these networks of care when
(07:52):
you're living in the tyranny ofthe moment, when you are
experiencing homelessness,you're thinking about your next
door dash or where the next safeplace to park, the time to
access and learn about a prettyrobust network of specialized
(08:17):
services and available servicesin your community can be
difficult.
So raising awareness on 2-1-1has been another imperative
piece of this puzzle.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
So, Kelsey, if we can maybe start from the top.
For people who are facingimminent danger of losing their
home or potentially some form ofhousing insecurity, what are
the resources that are availableto them before they lose their
home?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
whether it's due to economic or other reasons that
may be playing in their life atthat moment.
I think something we did reallywell as a nation initially
during the pandemic wasproviding emergency rental
assistance.
That money was distributedquickly and with limited
barriers throughout the countryfor folks to be able to access
that, and typically the triggerfor that is receiving a
(09:16):
three-day notice Education forindividuals on what a three-day
notice means.
If you are a person, typically80% of individuals facing that
type of assistance only do soonce.
It's not something that youlearn in school about what to do
next if you receive an eviction.
So a lot of the work aroundemergency rental assistance is
(09:38):
education and incorporatinglegal aid into that process,
because many times receiving athree-day notice will trigger
folks to leave the premisesaltogether when they have not
yet been evicted and they'rejust entering that process.
For a lot of communityresources typically 211 is the
(10:06):
pathway to be to be connectedwith.
Who is able to provide rentalassistance in your community and
who has funds available at thetime would be able to walk you
through exactly what you need toapply and receive that rental
assistance.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
So I'm thinking in terms of our students and coming
up with some actionable items.
You know, from what you wentthrough and the two things that
you know pop up into my you know, as you were talking, that I
took down in terms of notesemergency rental assistance.
So if I was a student inCincinnati or in Detroit, how do
I access that?
(10:35):
Like, what is the?
Where do I go?
Where I did get the three daynotice, what is the actionable
advice that you can give tosomebody that is facing that
three day notice to get access,to help?
Speaker 4 (10:48):
If you receive a three day notice, do not leave,
do not turn your key in, do notmake plans to exit.
Call your local 2-1-1 phonenumber and ask your service
representative who question.
They will be able to connectyou with what your local
(11:15):
resources are based on anyintake information they can help
you with over the phone, I'massuming they can't force you
out right.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
They got to go to court.
They got to get a court order.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Correct.
There's a whole process.
So a three-day notice is justthe first step in the eviction
process.
That allows your landlord tobegin the process, that it's
been on record, that you havereceived notice that you're in
violation.
Typically, if that has to dowith past due rent past due rent
(11:54):
this is a little bit different.
If you're being evicted fordifferent reasons or different
purposes, your local legal aidsociety contact would be able to
assist you through evictionprocesses outside of late rent.
After that takes place, youhave a little bit of time and
each landlord is different.
I've worked with over 500 ofthem at this point and each
landlord is different.
I've worked with over 500 ofthem at this point and some of
(12:14):
them will move very quickly.
Some of them will issue thatthree-day notice as soon as the
late fee period has passed.
Some of them will not do ituntil the end of the month.
Some of them may allow it to gofor months and months before
they start to take a look andthat can really be dangerous
because it's less likely fundswill be available for a larger
accumulation of past due rent.
(12:37):
On the same note, a lot ofplaces aren't able to assist if
you have not yet received yourtwo-day or two to three-day
notice.
A lot of folks and we knowpeople are resilient and people
like to be prepared a lot offolks will call in for that type
of rental assistance on thefirst day of work they've missed
.
If they're out with an illness,right, a lot of places won't be
(13:02):
able to assist until one beingout has impacted your paycheck
and you can show that on yourpast 30 days of income and two
that the rent is actually late.
Most programs are not able toassist for rent that you know is
going to be later but you couldget behind.
There has to actually be thattwo to three day notice and then
(13:25):
in between it could be a coupleof weeks, it could be a full,
another rental payment later.
If that has still not beenresolved, the landlord is able
to go to the municipal courtfile for eviction, have that
notice to appear in court sentto the resident.
The resident then is requiredto either show up in court or to
(13:49):
request a continuance.
A lot of times if you are stillworking with a rental
assistance agency and you needto ask for that continuance, it
buys a little more time for thatprocess to be completed, but
participating in the process isvery important because I know in
my community those hearingshappen on a Thursday.
If you are evicted on aThursday, the sheriff set out
(14:15):
where they come to remove youritems takes place on a Tuesday.
This is something that veryrarely needs to actually happen,
especially if there's rentalassistance available in your
community.
If right at that notice onreceipt of the notice, calling
2-1-1 is the best thing someonecan do for themselves in that
situation.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
So a couple of follow up questions.
You talked about the studentvouchers.
What's the criteria behind like?
How would a 22 year oldattending Ross right now?
How do they determine whetherthey're eligible for a student
voucher?
Speaker 4 (15:01):
a metropolitan housing authority, some of it's
by county, some of it's by city.
It's really dependent on whereyou're at in the United States
for what size of a housingauthority is in your community,
but they manage all of thevouchers, so that would be what
we traditionally refer to as aSection 8 voucher.
The most common type of voucheravailable is income-based, with
a wait list that opensregularly.
(15:22):
You would want to first contactyour housing authority to find
out what vouchers are available.
Should a voucher be availablein that community for students,
they would be able to talkthrough exactly what their
criteria is, what the incomelevel is, because it's typically
to do with the average medianincome in that area.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
So you said there's a wait list.
So is this going to come, kindof money that may not be
available?
Is it like if it runs out itruns out, or is it more of an
entitlement?
If you meet the eligibility,you get it.
It's cyclical.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
So they open the wait list when new additional funds
are coming in or if previousvoucher holders have rolled off
because they've moved upeconomically.
Economically they now make toomuch money, fingers crossed,
they're not in the benefitscliff and they've moved on to
something bigger and better andno longer need it right.
(16:23):
But they have new spaceavailable as this rolls in and
rolls out and there are newtypes of vouchers being added
all the time.
So I keep a tight eye on allthe HUD press releases to see
what the new trends are.
It'll be quite some time beforethey get to my mid-sized
Midwestern community, but it'sgood to know what's coming down
(16:46):
the way and what trends areemerging.
And student vouchers are verypopular right now and I know are
available in most metro areas.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
So the students have to really think ahead, right,
they have to anticipate and thengo on that wait list and then
cross their fingers, right.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
At times and everyone's story is different
and every office worksdifferently, but it's certainly
something to investigate ifanyone's considering that they
might be eligible for somethinglike that.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
I find sometimes the process makes it hard for people
to get access to money, like wemake them climb a mountain.
Is this one of them?
Or are you going to walk uphillboth ways and hope to get some
help?
Or is the process streamlined?
Speaker 4 (17:32):
I wish George, I wish I could identify one solid
answer that's universal, buteach office is different and
each experience is going to bedifferent.
My hope is that when they'reengaging with these processes,
there are passionate socialservice workers that are doing
everything they can for a warmhandoff, a radical welcome,
(17:57):
doing everything they can tomake sure it's expedient and in
line with that student's needs.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
That may not always be the case, maybe in Ohio, I
don't know here, but maybe Ithink here they make them work
so hard to get access to help.
They just make it difficult.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
I think that's true in a lot of systems when we talk
about the tyranny of the momentand the way folks have been
asked to move from oneassistance office to another and
they've stopped for child careand they've used the public
transit system and stayed inline for their transportation
and they've stayed in line toget to their food pantry.
It is a daunting and exhaustingday to be low income.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So this takes me to my last question.
As you talk about child care,you know over half a million
people are homeless in Americabut what some people don't
realize, over 100,000 kids arehomeless.
And you know, within Ross wehave many, many single mom who
go to Ross, who are trying to goto school, work a job, raise
(18:59):
their kids.
Is there any additionalresources for households,
especially households that arebeing led by a single mom?
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I think that is absolutely something to consider
when students call 211.
It's vital information becausethere are some incredible models
out there.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
I'm thinking like big picture kind of what can
society do and you brought upsome really great programs that
are federal funded, state funded, county funded, united Way
sponsors or in projects likethat but what's the what's
something that and George andGeorge has, of course, talked
about what we can do at Ross butwhat are some things that
(19:41):
individuals like Christine cando that can you know, help these
help not just solve, not solvehomelessness, but be able to
help people that are in thissituation.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
One of the easiest ways for an average day-to-day
person who, whether you are insocial services or education, or
you touch this day-to-day, yourneighbors touch it day-to-day
and the best way to advocate foryour neighbors is to
participate in the yes In myBackyard campaign, the YIMBY
campaign.
So, as we're looking at thisnationally and globally, one of
(20:18):
the largest causes ofhomelessness is the lack of
affordable housing.
And when we're talking Maslow'shierarchy of needs having a
place to live, going back tothat housing first model,
increasing the amount of housingavailable when we're talking
(20:38):
about that, there's somestereotypes around multifamily
housing.
There's some stereotypes aroundapartments.
And when we're able to takethat lens and focus it on
helping families and making surethat there are options for
individuals who are in yourworkforce, in your community,
encouraging not development fordevelopment's sake, but
(21:00):
thoughtful development thatpeople want.
That takes education,transportation, access to food
into consideration.
There are ways to get involvedwith your local shelter.
A lot of local shelters acceptfood items or a meal, always,
always, always.
If you're looking to helpemancipated and foster youth,
(21:21):
mentorship programs are idealLearning to build trusted
relationships, learning how tonavigate your community and
where to go when you need help.
Some folks just never learn whoto ask.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
So you talked about not in my backyard.
Do you think the perceptionsaround homelessness in America
anyway are changing over time?
You know the stereotyping ofhomeless individuals and
homeless family, or is thatpiece still a work in progress?
Speaker 4 (21:55):
It's always a work in progress right.
We will never be at 100%.
People will always haveopinions and always disagree
with each other.
So until we're at 100% that weall agree that housing is a
human right, there's alwaysgoing to be a little bit of
progress to be made, but I thinkthat the narrative is certainly
shifting.
We're getting more and moreopportunities to dispel a lot,
(22:17):
of, a lot of myths and concerns.
I think we're looking at theway we engage in community a lot
differently than we used to.
We're coming out of thesuburban experiment where all
development was very specific tokeeping commercial and
residential very, very separate,separate.
(22:42):
Mixed use is on the rise againand we're seeing the good that
can come out of mixed use andthe return to a downtown with
apartments and farmers markets.
When our local planningcommission put out a survey,
number one thing people want isaffordability when they're
talking about where they wouldlike to live and what they want
their community to look like.
By and large, every incomelevel said affordability, which
(23:03):
was shocking to me because Iwould expect some folks that
maybe aren't as exposed to it tohave bumped that further down.
No, it still was number one.
So, number one we want it to beaffordable.
Number two walkable.
Walkability is now the secondmost important thing to people
when they're planning theircommunities.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Kelsey, I'm maybe going off track here we talk
about maybe it's a work inprogress but the homelessness
hits every ethnic group.
So every ethnic group inAmerica is impacted by
homelessness, but the reality isminorities tend to pay a much,
much heavier price.
Homelessness, but the realityis minorities tend to pay a much
(23:42):
, much heavier price.
As I prepared for today,hispanics are seeing really a
huge rise of a number of peoplewho are homeless in real, raw
numbers.
What are the drivers here?
Is it all economics that yousee on your end, or is there
other problems that seem to bedriving right now the rising
number in homelessness?
Speaker 4 (24:04):
Well, when we talk about the disparities between
marginalized communities, whenwe're talking about homelessness
, you've got to talk aboutsystemic racism.
There has been so much of theway that we look at the
economics is based on privilegeand what folks have been able to
acquire over the years, whenamassing generational wealth but
, by and large, has rewardedwhiteness.
(24:28):
So when we're talking abouthaving a disparity in the number
of unhoused individuals beingpeople of color, that speaks to
a lack of opportunity to buildgenerational wealth in a society
that rewards that.
That speaks to additionalbarriers such as language
barriers.
We're talking about our refugeeand immigrant population being
(24:53):
able to do all of those thingswe talked about earlier in the
show what it's like to move fromone assistance window to the
food pantry, to the bus line topick up your child, and how
that's a full-time job in and ofitself.
Imagine doing that while havingto translate in your head when
those cultural competenciesaren't around.
(25:13):
I have a quote here that wasprovided by the True Colors
Institute that spoke todisparities in entering the
shelter system.
Black women in America haveadditional stereotypes applied
to us when I applied for thethings.
My name signals whiteness, butthen my voice and physical
appearance result in differenttreatment.
(25:34):
This is straight up systemicracism.
It discourages people frombringing their full selves to
situations due to systemicbiases about black people, and
that is a quote from JenniferMyers, one of the young people
that participated in anationwide study on social
disparities in youthhomelessness.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Yeah, well, I really want to appreciate the time,
really want to appreciate thetime.
I truly believe if Kristen canfind an opportunity for you to
get in front of our students andin front of our teachers and
staff, I think it would beamazingly valuable.
In my heart of hearts, Ibelieve our students are one
paycheck away from facing someform of a housing crisis, and I
(26:15):
don't necessarily know if theyknow their rights or if they
know the process or if they caneven navigate the process, which
always the piece that alwaysdrives me nuts.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Well, you have to prove that you're homeless or
you're going to be homeless,versus people giving you the aid
that you need and the help youneed in a timely manner just
very grateful for the time, andit's a very important topic, and
it's incredible that you'remaking sure your students are
equipped with the knowledge that, should they ever have to
navigate this type of system, orif they ever have someone in
(26:48):
their community, they'll knowthe answers, they'll know where
to go and they'll be able to doso with confidence and dignity.
Thanks for listening to Makethe Leap.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Be sure to visit our site, rosspodcastcom or the
podcast platform of your choice,to listen to past episodes, as
well as subscribe, so you nevermiss a future episode.
We hope you join us two weeksfrom now for our next episode.
See you then.
Thank you.
Welcome to Make the Leap, a podcast focused on the
many economic hurdles facingcollege students, lower income
individuals and those strivingto move up the social ladder.
I'm Brad Constant, here withGeorge Grayup and Kristen Beale.
(00:32):
George, what are we talkingabout today?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Thank you, brad.
Today, our topic ishomelessness.
Homelessness has surged andreceded throughout the nation's
history.
While there are many drivers ofmodern day homelessness, it is
largely the result of failedpolicies, severely underfunded
programs that have led toaffordable housing shortages,
wages that do not keep up withrising rent and housing costs,
(00:55):
inadequate safety net, lack ofaccess to quality health care
especially mental healtheducation, economic opportunity
and mass incarcerations.
In effect, more than half ofthe Americans live paycheck to
paycheck and they're simply onecrisis away from homelessness or
some form of housing insecurity.
Homelessness in the UnitedStates is an urgent public
(01:17):
health issue and a humanitariancrisis.
It impacts cities, suburbs,small towns in every state.
Housing is a social detrimentof health, meaning lack of it
has a negative impact on overallhealth and life expectancies.
Tens of thousands of people dieevery year due to dangerous
conditions of living withouthousing.
People who experiencehomelessness die nearly 30 years
(01:38):
earlier than the averageAmerican, and often from easily
treatable illnesses.
Even though Ross students donot encounter homelessness on a
consistent basis, it is a topicthat they face and they deal
with at some point in theiradult life, and so today, this
is where we're going to spendthe next 30 minutes talking
through homelessness, resourcesavailable and opportunities to
(02:00):
hopefully prevent our studentsfrom having to face us in their
day-to-day life.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Thanks, george.
I'm looking forward to chattingwith our guests and diving into
this topic.
So, kristen, I'll turn it overto you.
Who do we have the pleasure ofchatting with today?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Thanks, brad.
Today we're going to bespeaking with Kelsey Fox, who's
the Director of Housing andCommunity Solutions at the
United Way.
I became familiar with Kelseythrough my work as a violence
prevention educator at Helplinein Delaware, ohio, and then
became more familiar with herthrough the Peace Collaborative.
(02:33):
I think is where maybe I firstmight have met you, Kelsey.
So let's go to Kelsey first.
Kelsey, thank you so much forjoining us.
We're grateful that you're here.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Thank you very much for having me and for the work
you all are doing.
I think bringing some light tothis topic is incredibly,
incredibly helpful, especiallywhen we're talking about our
young people who are enteringcontinuing education.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Kelsey.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your background and what
got you to your role andinterest in?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
housing I'd be happy to.
I'm very fortunate to have comeup through a public relations
background which has enabled meto be just a little bit
dangerous to know a little bitin every topic.
So working in the publicinformation's office for our
local health department in amid-sized community outside of a
(03:22):
larger scale city introduced meto a large network of folks who
are working on a number ofsocial determinants that
constitute public healthconcerns.
The initial topic was hunger.
We have worked with lifelonglearning, stability, wellness,
both physical and mental health,and our role in the community
(03:45):
really is to listen to andaddress what the largest need is
, and we all know, following thepandemic, the affordable
housing crisis was front andcenter.
We were able to engage inemergency rental assistance
while we were simultaneouslylaunching the Delaware County
Housing Alliance in ourcommunity, alongside opening a
(04:07):
young adult transitional livingprogram.
Now the transitional livingprogram is very unique when you
look at the continuum ofresources available for housing
and housing stability.
Most communities are a part ofa continuum of care based out of
a region in their state, out ofnational resources available
(04:29):
from the HUD department, rentalassistance whether that is
something specific as far as ashelter determination that has
(04:50):
to do with a domestic violence,human trafficking, emancipating
youth background.
There are many specializedspaces to stay.
There are also rapid rehousingprograms that allow for folks
who maybe don't need to be in ashelter environment but can be
moved quickly and with step-downrental assistance, through that
same continuum of care.
(05:10):
On the other end of thatspectrum we have tons of
developers who are working tocreate additional affordable
housing and looking at differentmodels that really benefit the
whole community.
Now, with any of this, anyadditional social determinants
or any other identifiers thatwould place someone in the
(05:35):
margins.
That would make it moredifficult and create more
barriers for them to succeed.
There's additionalconsiderations for that in a lot
of these programs, but theprograms aren't happening as
quickly as we would like them to.
United Ways are not typicallydirect service providers.
When we are looking at solvingcommunity problems, a lot of the
(05:56):
traditional model is to goahead and provide financial
assistance to someone who can.
One of the reasons I'm stillwith this particular United Way
is because we don't leave it atthat.
If we aren't able to findanother agency to partner with
that can take on the solution tothe problem, we will go ahead
and help provide that service.
So we were able to engage witha lot of really incredible young
(06:20):
adult transitional livingprograms while we were preparing
to open our own, and thestories that these young people
are able to provide is justabsolutely incredible.
I have one particularemancipated youth that comes to
mind when we're talking aboutthose stories.
The way this young person gotconnected with us in the first
(06:41):
place was taking a survey.
It was a follow-up survey as anemancipated youth at the age of
21.
When they were going throughand identifying different
components of his experience, itasks about current housing.
While his current housing wasliving in the car he was using
to door dash, frequently usingthe items that he had picked up
(07:05):
to deliver to other people aswarmth because it was the winter
in the Midwest.
This young man was then able tobe identified and get connected
with a shelter service Througha shelter service, because
transitional housing isn'temergency shelter.
It serves a very specific nichein between supportive housing
(07:28):
and the sheltering system.
They were able to go ahead andrefer him to us Otherwise and
the sheltering system.
They were able to go ahead andrefer him to us Otherwise.
This may be someone who slipsthrough the cracks Talking about
your experience at HelplineKristen.
Having the knowledge of 211 forfolks to even be able to call
and ask the question is so vital.
Being able to raise awarenessfor these networks of care when
(07:52):
you're living in the tyranny ofthe moment, when you are
experiencing homelessness,you're thinking about your next
door dash or where the next safeplace to park, the time to
access and learn about a prettyrobust network of specialized
(08:17):
services and available servicesin your community can be
difficult.
So raising awareness on 2-1-1has been another imperative
piece of this puzzle.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
So, Kelsey, if we can maybe start from the top.
For people who are facingimminent danger of losing their
home or potentially some form ofhousing insecurity, what are
the resources that are availableto them before they lose their
home?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
whether it's due to economic or other reasons that
may be playing in their life atthat moment.
I think something we did reallywell as a nation initially
during the pandemic wasproviding emergency rental
assistance.
That money was distributedquickly and with limited
barriers throughout the countryfor folks to be able to access
that, and typically the triggerfor that is receiving a
(09:16):
three-day notice Education forindividuals on what a three-day
notice means.
If you are a person, typically80% of individuals facing that
type of assistance only do soonce.
It's not something that youlearn in school about what to do
next if you receive an eviction.
So a lot of the work aroundemergency rental assistance is
(09:38):
education and incorporatinglegal aid into that process,
because many times receiving athree-day notice will trigger
folks to leave the premisesaltogether when they have not
yet been evicted and they'rejust entering that process.
For a lot of communityresources typically 211 is the
(10:06):
pathway to be to be connectedwith.
Who is able to provide rentalassistance in your community and
who has funds available at thetime would be able to walk you
through exactly what you need toapply and receive that rental
assistance.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
So I'm thinking in terms of our students and coming
up with some actionable items.
You know, from what you wentthrough and the two things that
you know pop up into my you know, as you were talking, that I
took down in terms of notesemergency rental assistance.
So if I was a student inCincinnati or in Detroit, how do
I access that?
(10:35):
Like, what is the?
Where do I go?
Where I did get the three daynotice, what is the actionable
advice that you can give tosomebody that is facing that
three day notice to get access,to help?
Speaker 4 (10:48):
If you receive a three day notice, do not leave,
do not turn your key in, do notmake plans to exit.
Call your local 2-1-1 phonenumber and ask your service
representative who question.
They will be able to connectyou with what your local
(11:15):
resources are based on anyintake information they can help
you with over the phone, I'massuming they can't force you
out right.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
They got to go to court.
They got to get a court order.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
Correct.
There's a whole process.
So a three-day notice is justthe first step in the eviction
process.
That allows your landlord tobegin the process, that it's
been on record, that you havereceived notice that you're in
violation.
Typically, if that has to dowith past due rent past due rent
(11:54):
this is a little bit different.
If you're being evicted fordifferent reasons or different
purposes, your local legal aidsociety contact would be able to
assist you through evictionprocesses outside of late rent.
After that takes place, youhave a little bit of time and
each landlord is different.
I've worked with over 500 ofthem at this point and each
landlord is different.
I've worked with over 500 ofthem at this point and some of
(12:14):
them will move very quickly.
Some of them will issue thatthree-day notice as soon as the
late fee period has passed.
Some of them will not do ituntil the end of the month.
Some of them may allow it to gofor months and months before
they start to take a look andthat can really be dangerous
because it's less likely fundswill be available for a larger
accumulation of past due rent.
(12:37):
On the same note, a lot ofplaces aren't able to assist if
you have not yet received yourtwo-day or two to three-day
notice.
A lot of folks and we knowpeople are resilient and people
like to be prepared a lot offolks will call in for that type
of rental assistance on thefirst day of work they've missed
.
If they're out with an illness,right, a lot of places won't be
(13:02):
able to assist until one beingout has impacted your paycheck
and you can show that on yourpast 30 days of income and two
that the rent is actually late.
Most programs are not able toassist for rent that you know is
going to be later but you couldget behind.
There has to actually be thattwo to three day notice and then
(13:25):
in between it could be a coupleof weeks, it could be a full,
another rental payment later.
If that has still not beenresolved, the landlord is able
to go to the municipal courtfile for eviction, have that
notice to appear in court sentto the resident.
The resident then is requiredto either show up in court or to
(13:49):
request a continuance.
A lot of times if you are stillworking with a rental
assistance agency and you needto ask for that continuance, it
buys a little more time for thatprocess to be completed, but
participating in the process isvery important because I know in
my community those hearingshappen on a Thursday.
If you are evicted on aThursday, the sheriff set out
(14:15):
where they come to remove youritems takes place on a Tuesday.
This is something that veryrarely needs to actually happen,
especially if there's rentalassistance available in your
community.
If right at that notice onreceipt of the notice, calling
2-1-1 is the best thing someonecan do for themselves in that
situation.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
So a couple of follow up questions.
You talked about the studentvouchers.
What's the criteria behind like?
How would a 22 year oldattending Ross right now?
How do they determine whetherthey're eligible for a student
voucher?
Speaker 4 (15:01):
a metropolitan housing authority, some of it's
by county, some of it's by city.
It's really dependent on whereyou're at in the United States
for what size of a housingauthority is in your community,
but they manage all of thevouchers, so that would be what
we traditionally refer to as aSection 8 voucher.
The most common type of voucheravailable is income-based, with
a wait list that opensregularly.
(15:22):
You would want to first contactyour housing authority to find
out what vouchers are available.
Should a voucher be availablein that community for students,
they would be able to talkthrough exactly what their
criteria is, what the incomelevel is, because it's typically
to do with the average medianincome in that area.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
So you said there's a wait list.
So is this going to come, kindof money that may not be
available?
Is it like if it runs out itruns out, or is it more of an
entitlement?
If you meet the eligibility,you get it.
It's cyclical.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
So they open the wait list when new additional funds
are coming in or if previousvoucher holders have rolled off
because they've moved upeconomically.
Economically they now make toomuch money, fingers crossed,
they're not in the benefitscliff and they've moved on to
something bigger and better andno longer need it right.
(16:23):
But they have new spaceavailable as this rolls in and
rolls out and there are newtypes of vouchers being added
all the time.
So I keep a tight eye on allthe HUD press releases to see
what the new trends are.
It'll be quite some time beforethey get to my mid-sized
Midwestern community, but it'sgood to know what's coming down
(16:46):
the way and what trends areemerging.
And student vouchers are verypopular right now and I know are
available in most metro areas.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
So the students have to really think ahead, right,
they have to anticipate and thengo on that wait list and then
cross their fingers, right.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
At times and everyone's story is different
and every office worksdifferently, but it's certainly
something to investigate ifanyone's considering that they
might be eligible for somethinglike that.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
I find sometimes the process makes it hard for people
to get access to money, like wemake them climb a mountain.
Is this one of them?
Or are you going to walk uphillboth ways and hope to get some
help?
Or is the process streamlined?
Speaker 4 (17:32):
I wish George, I wish I could identify one solid
answer that's universal, buteach office is different and
each experience is going to bedifferent.
My hope is that when they'reengaging with these processes,
there are passionate socialservice workers that are doing
everything they can for a warmhandoff, a radical welcome,
(17:57):
doing everything they can tomake sure it's expedient and in
line with that student's needs.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
That may not always be the case, maybe in Ohio, I
don't know here, but maybe Ithink here they make them work
so hard to get access to help.
They just make it difficult.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
I think that's true in a lot of systems when we talk
about the tyranny of the momentand the way folks have been
asked to move from oneassistance office to another and
they've stopped for child careand they've used the public
transit system and stayed inline for their transportation
and they've stayed in line toget to their food pantry.
It is a daunting and exhaustingday to be low income.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
So this takes me to my last question.
As you talk about child care,you know over half a million
people are homeless in Americabut what some people don't
realize, over 100,000 kids arehomeless.
And you know, within Ross wehave many, many single mom who
go to Ross, who are trying to goto school, work a job, raise
(18:59):
their kids.
Is there any additionalresources for households,
especially households that arebeing led by a single mom?
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I think that is absolutely something to consider
when students call 211.
It's vital information becausethere are some incredible models
out there.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
I'm thinking like big picture kind of what can
society do and you brought upsome really great programs that
are federal funded, state funded, county funded, united Way
sponsors or in projects likethat but what's the what's
something that and George andGeorge has, of course, talked
about what we can do at Ross butwhat are some things that
(19:41):
individuals like Christine cando that can you know, help these
help not just solve, not solvehomelessness, but be able to
help people that are in thissituation.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
One of the easiest ways for an average day-to-day
person who, whether you are insocial services or education, or
you touch this day-to-day, yourneighbors touch it day-to-day
and the best way to advocate foryour neighbors is to
participate in the yes In myBackyard campaign, the YIMBY
campaign.
So, as we're looking at thisnationally and globally, one of
(20:18):
the largest causes ofhomelessness is the lack of
affordable housing.
And when we're talking Maslow'shierarchy of needs having a
place to live, going back tothat housing first model,
increasing the amount of housingavailable when we're talking
(20:38):
about that, there's somestereotypes around multifamily
housing.
There's some stereotypes aroundapartments.
And when we're able to takethat lens and focus it on
helping families and making surethat there are options for
individuals who are in yourworkforce, in your community,
encouraging not development fordevelopment's sake, but
(21:00):
thoughtful development thatpeople want.
That takes education,transportation, access to food
into consideration.
There are ways to get involvedwith your local shelter.
A lot of local shelters acceptfood items or a meal, always,
always, always.
If you're looking to helpemancipated and foster youth,
(21:21):
mentorship programs are idealLearning to build trusted
relationships, learning how tonavigate your community and
where to go when you need help.
Some folks just never learn whoto ask.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
So you talked about not in my backyard.
Do you think the perceptionsaround homelessness in America
anyway are changing over time?
You know the stereotyping ofhomeless individuals and
homeless family, or is thatpiece still a work in progress?
Speaker 4 (21:55):
It's always a work in progress right.
We will never be at 100%.
People will always haveopinions and always disagree
with each other.
So until we're at 100% that weall agree that housing is a
human right, there's alwaysgoing to be a little bit of
progress to be made, but I thinkthat the narrative is certainly
shifting.
We're getting more and moreopportunities to dispel a lot,
(22:17):
of, a lot of myths and concerns.
I think we're looking at theway we engage in community a lot
differently than we used to.
We're coming out of thesuburban experiment where all
development was very specific tokeeping commercial and
residential very, very separate,separate.
(22:42):
Mixed use is on the rise againand we're seeing the good that
can come out of mixed use andthe return to a downtown with
apartments and farmers markets.
When our local planningcommission put out a survey,
number one thing people want isaffordability when they're
talking about where they wouldlike to live and what they want
their community to look like.
By and large, every incomelevel said affordability, which
(23:03):
was shocking to me because Iwould expect some folks that
maybe aren't as exposed to it tohave bumped that further down.
No, it still was number one.
So, number one we want it to beaffordable.
Number two walkable.
Walkability is now the secondmost important thing to people
when they're planning theircommunities.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Kelsey, I'm maybe going off track here we talk
about maybe it's a work inprogress but the homelessness
hits every ethnic group.
So every ethnic group inAmerica is impacted by
homelessness, but the reality isminorities tend to pay a much,
much heavier price.
Homelessness, but the realityis minorities tend to pay a much
(23:42):
, much heavier price.
As I prepared for today,hispanics are seeing really a
huge rise of a number of peoplewho are homeless in real, raw
numbers.
What are the drivers here?
Is it all economics that yousee on your end, or is there
other problems that seem to bedriving right now the rising
number in homelessness?
Speaker 4 (24:04):
Well, when we talk about the disparities between
marginalized communities, whenwe're talking about homelessness
, you've got to talk aboutsystemic racism.
There has been so much of theway that we look at the
economics is based on privilegeand what folks have been able to
acquire over the years, whenamassing generational wealth but
, by and large, has rewardedwhiteness.
(24:28):
So when we're talking abouthaving a disparity in the number
of unhoused individuals beingpeople of color, that speaks to
a lack of opportunity to buildgenerational wealth in a society
that rewards that.
That speaks to additionalbarriers such as language
barriers.
We're talking about our refugeeand immigrant population being
(24:53):
able to do all of those thingswe talked about earlier in the
show what it's like to move fromone assistance window to the
food pantry, to the bus line topick up your child, and how
that's a full-time job in and ofitself.
Imagine doing that while havingto translate in your head when
those cultural competenciesaren't around.
(25:13):
I have a quote here that wasprovided by the True Colors
Institute that spoke todisparities in entering the
shelter system.
Black women in America haveadditional stereotypes applied
to us when I applied for thethings.
My name signals whiteness, butthen my voice and physical
appearance result in differenttreatment.
(25:34):
This is straight up systemicracism.
It discourages people frombringing their full selves to
situations due to systemicbiases about black people, and
that is a quote from JenniferMyers, one of the young people
that participated in anationwide study on social
disparities in youthhomelessness.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Yeah, well, I really want to appreciate the time,
really want to appreciate thetime.
I truly believe if Kristen canfind an opportunity for you to
get in front of our students andin front of our teachers and
staff, I think it would beamazingly valuable.
In my heart of hearts, Ibelieve our students are one
paycheck away from facing someform of a housing crisis, and I
(26:15):
don't necessarily know if theyknow their rights or if they
know the process or if they caneven navigate the process, which
always the piece that alwaysdrives me nuts.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Well, you have to prove that you're homeless or
you're going to be homeless,versus people giving you the aid
that you need and the help youneed in a timely manner just
very grateful for the time, andit's a very important topic, and
it's incredible that you'remaking sure your students are
equipped with the knowledge that, should they ever have to
navigate this type of system, orif they ever have someone in
(26:48):
their community, they'll knowthe answers, they'll know where
to go and they'll be able to doso with confidence and dignity.
Thanks for listening to Makethe Leap.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Be sure to visit our site, rosspodcastcom or the
podcast platform of your choice,to listen to past episodes, as
well as subscribe, so you nevermiss a future episode.
We hope you join us two weeksfrom now for our next episode.
See you then.
Thank you.
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