Broadening Housing Opportunity : Regional Mobility Program
The story of mobility in assisted housing is, mainly, a story of families. Very poor families, from neighborhoods where most people are poor, crime is rampant, jobs are scarce, and schools struggle with inadequate resources, choose to move to neighborhoods where they can feel safe, where jobs are more plentiful, and schools more effective. For many such families, this move may be a step toward self-sufficiency.
Housing
Mobility : Realizing the Promise.*
HOME INC operates its Housing Counseling and Regional Mobility Programs under
a contract with the State of Connecticut, and collaborates closely with the
state's rental subsidy
administrators and housing authorities. These programs seek to maximize the use of available housing subsidies and to offer housing opportunities in
low-poverty areas of South Central
and Southeastern Connecticut. Participation is purely voluntary, for both the resident and the eventual landlord. HOME
INC assists participants by maintaining a list of available homes, preparing them for their search, orienting them to available services, helping them resolve outstanding credit problems, and assisting landlords with government programs.
The program's successful participants have told us that they are proud of their new homes and are very happy that their children are getting the opportunity for a better quality of life.
One recent (2012) client who
successfully found a permanent home
reported: "I didn't want to
end up back in my car or shelter or
worse. With HOME INC's help, I
knew I had a chance. [HOME
INC] helped me put it back
together."
Sidebar :
Available research, still too limited to be definitive, suggests that, for children in particular, the move can be a giant step, enabling them to achieve in school and as adults.
Housing Mobility : Realizing the Promise*
HOME INC's Relocation Program
Over its nearly 20 years' of
operation, HOME INC's counseling
program has served the City of New
Haven, Housing Authority of New
Haven, and private clients to
provide respectful, humane, and
thorough relocation services.
Services include identifying new homes and providing moving assistance and benefit payments. In addition, HOME INC will take this opportunity to counsel affected families about regional housing opportunities, including areas in non-traditional areas that the affected families may not have considered.
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