Finding a place to live isn’t easy

DRC Housing Navigators work with households assigned to housing assistance programs by assisting in locating appropriate options and walking with them all the way to move-in day.

When households are issued housing vouchers through the Tarrant County Continuum of Care, they are also given a list of apartment complexes and landlords who may accept their voucher. The trouble is, this list is a living document and changes constantly, often before it is even printed. Often, properties have stopped working with housing programs or have been bought out and completely changed their policies.

Few clients have a working phone and are able to call these properties, and even fewer have a car, or even a monthly bus pass, to visit each of the properties. Additionally, properties will require application fees, fees which most clients cannot cover. If the property finds a barrier to housing, such as a past eviction or bad credit score or past conviction, the client can be turned down even if the property does accept vouchers.

DRC Housing Navigators are continually in touch with local property owners, updating their availability and policies. They cultivate relationships with landlords across Tarrant County, educating them on the process of vouchers and recruiting new properties to accept vouchers. Navigators serve as liaisons between property owners and housing voucher holders to match clients to housing units. They take clients to see properties, meet with apartment managers, smooth over any issues, and pay application fees and rental deposits.

The DRC Housing Navigation team works tirelessly every day, because every day individuals living on the street are handed a piece of paper telling them there is finally hope for them to live like a human being, and “all they have to do” is hunt down that one place willing to rent to them before their voucher expires.

Results

In 2023, the DRC provided Housing Navigation services to 222 households.