Bad credit and criminal background checks keep many people homeless, and more needs to be done to help them gain access to housing, said a committee working on a 10-year plan to end long-term homelessness in Fargo-Moorhead.
Tuesday's meeting of about 35 community leaders focused on the types of housing needed for the homeless and the barriers they face.
Fargo had 253 homeless people on Jan. 25, according to a one-day survey coordinated by the North Dakota Coalition for Homeless People Inc.
Of those, 79 people met the definition of long-term homelessness, which is a homeless individual with a disabling condition who is continuously homeless for at least one year or has experienced four or more episodes of homelessness in the last three years.
A housing analysis presented Tuesday found just 12 housing units for which there were pre-existing arrangements with landlords willing to rent to the long-term homeless population.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's not that the housing units don't exist, it's that they haven't been inventoried or identified yet," said Jessica Thomasson, Fargo community development planner.
The largest group of long-term homeless people in Fargo, numbering 32, were single adults with a dual diagnosis of chemical dependency and serious mental illness and a background of bad credit, criminal history or bad rental history.
Landlords are worried that those with bad credit won't pay their rent, and that those with criminal backgrounds - especially sex offenders - will alienate their other tenants, said Michael Carbone, who helps homeless families and individuals find and keep homes in Clay and Wilkin counties in Minnesota.
"The landlord cares about how it affects his bottom line," said Carbone, of Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership.
Members discussed ways to change property management practices to make housing more accessible to the homeless, such as creating flexible payment and lease options and eliminating the "one-strike" philosophy for drug use or violent behavior. Another options was to work with Fargo's Safe Rental Housing Program - which provides free background checks for landlords who complete a training program - to create options for excluded tenants to re-enter mainstream housing.
One committee member suggested a property tax break for landlords who rent to long-term homeless people.
Dan Danielson, executive director of the New Life Center in Fargo, said he believes it's important to attach a recovery component to housing for the homeless.
Keith Gilleshammer, director of Centre Inc. in Fargo, said some homeless housing programs in Minneapolis have found success by not requiring abstinence from alcohol. Tenants receive help when they feel safe and ready.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We just have to expand so the rules aren't so confining," he said.
Members also discussed ways to increase tenant incomes, including more city or state funding for rental assistance vouchers.
The committee expects to wrap up its work in June.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Mike Nowatzki at (701) 241-5528
