[Resource mapping] Tenant misses rent or utility payments

Tenant stays in housing or leaves

Stays in housing

Tenant remains housed and free of backrent

Finds correct RA portal

Needs to access application

Delay between application submission and approval/payment increases stress and uncertainty for tenant and landlord.

Already connected with community org

Legend

Positive Outcomes

Negative outcomes

Bottlenecks

forks

attributes

notes

Knows where to look for support

Does not know where to look for support

Community org reaches out

Landlord reaches out

Attribute

Resource / Orgs:
-Research, Professional Development / NAA, WMFHA
-Mailing list / United Way, KWA
-Help/Call service for housing/rental assistance/ 211 (WA)
-Resources available/ Aunt Bertha

'Would be Nice' Resources / Orgs:
- If receiving any benefits, on receipt, include a list of secondary resources and orgs
- If paying rent through mail or online(e.g. BILT Rewards by Mastercard, Zillow Rentals, etc) on receipt from landlord/payment processor, include a list of secondary resources and orgs

Finds info on rental assistance

Information unclear

Does not apply

Connects to other negative outcomes

Applies to wrong rental assistance program

Told to apply elsewhere

Attribute

Resources/Org:
-application assistance/KWA, King County Housing Authority, Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County
-Case workers/ DCHS, Mary's Place, Mi Centro, The Reach Center

'Would Be Nice' Resources/Orgs:
-a directory of rental assistance programs w/ detailed explanations of source and extent/Community Organizations, DCHS

Application not accessible format (online/language)

Calls 211

Reaches out to familiar community org

Does not apply/ complete application

Attribute

Resources/Orgs:
-translation services/ Mi Centro, KWA, DCHS
-application assistance/ KWA, King County Housing Authority, Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County, CBOs
-Case workers/ DCHS, Mary's Place, The Reach Center, Mi Centro

Tenant starts application

Needs to submit documents supporting eligibility criteria

Has all necessary documentation, is comfortable submitting private documents, and knows how to upload documents

Faces a challenge with uploading documents to application

Attributes

Resources / Orgs:
-Online Document Collection / Haven Connect, Landlord Solutions Inc
-rental history/ Mary's Place

Possible resources/ Orgs:
-Income verification software

Not yet familiar with social safety net services

Landlord provides supporting docs

Complete application submitted

Landlord documents not in acceptable format

Payment does not cover full rent/utilities owed but landlord cannot evict for 6 months as condition of accepting rental assistance

Tenant still has debt on record

Attribute

Resources/Orgs:
-help w/ rental history/Mary's Place

Tenant is not eligible

Tenant is rejected

Eligibility changes and tenant is now eligible

Attribute

Resources/Org:
-eligibility verification/Providers, Mary's Place, KWA, DCHS

Tenant does not receive the financial help they need

Community org revisits past rejected applications for newly eligible

Receives no support

Stays in home, debt accruing

Eviction moratorium ends, is evicted with high debt

Does not know rights

Is intimidated (illegally) by landlord and moves out

Homeless and with debt on record

Attributes

Resources/Orgs:
-helps with barriers to renting/ Mary's Place
-access to housing/ Mary's Place, Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County, Lasa, King County Housing Authority

Attributes

Resources/ Orgs:
-legal assistance/ DCHS, Mi Centro
-member database / WLIHC
-affordable housing advocacy/ Mary's Place, 211, NLIHC

Is not aware of available programs

Community org reviews application

Landlord still unwilling to provide documents

Tenant works with community org to submit w/o landlord

Attribute

Resources/Orgs:
-search for documents/Mary's Place
-copies of documentation/ Landlord Solutions Inc.

Tenant does not apply

Landlord has 7 days to respond if notice sent by mail, 5 days if sent by email/text/phone

Attributes

Possible Resources/orgs:
-Legal assistance/ DCHS

Community org spends time converting docs to acceptable forms

Attributes

'Would Be Nice' Resources/Orgs:
-Documentation reformatting/OCR and machine learning

Receives support in starting application

Start here

Other priority bills

Utility payments

Utilities shut off

Community org holds funds as grantee of county/administrative unit

Payment to landlord sent

Tenant stays in housing, no rent increase for 6mo

Application approved

Inadequate funds

Payment covers full amount due, rent and utilities

Tenant needs to pay current and future rent

Job situation has changed and tenant now has income to support rental payments

Tenant still has job loss due to covid and cannot make future rent payments

Tenant has to decide how to proceed with insufficient income and rental payments due

Cannot be evicted for non-payment if there is eviction moratorium in place

Attribute

Resources/Orgs:
-small financial help/ Canary, GiveDirectly, UpTogether
-Income Tracking Software / Steady, Providers
-Affordable Housing/Lasa, Koz Development, HUD

Wants support

Knows of covid relief funds at federal level

Searches online

Asks landlord

Reaches out to community org

Landlord initiates application

Receives notice from landlord

Tenant decides whether/how to proceed with application

Awareness of rental assistance programs

Finds out that is still eligible for backrent

Tenant unsure of application/doesn't know how to apply

Attribute

Resources/Org:
-application assistance/KWA, King County Housing Authority, Associated Ministries of Tacoma-Pierce County
-Case workers/ DCHS, Mary's Place, Mi Centro, The Reach Center

How does landlord starting application get sent to tenant?

Community orgs follow up on incomplete applications submitted through portal

Tenant is eligible

Community org works with tenant to determine optimal payment structure (months of rent, utilities, combo of both)

New guidance: If think going to miss payment then eligible

Tenant can't see where their application is in line, or the status of the application

Application put in queue in county system, in priority based on date submitted - can be very long (multiple months) delay

Delay is too long; tenant moves out

May not know that still eligible for payment of backrent

Attribute

Resources/Orgs:
-cross-checking for eligibility/ Providers, Mary's Place, The Reach Center
-Application review services/Wizehive
-

Possible Resources/Org:
-Waitlist Management/ Haven Connect
-Applicant Tracking System/Landlord Solutions Inc.

'Would be nice' Resources/Orgs:
-Waitlist management with income/need prioritization

case manager reaches out

Landlord unresponsive for more than 7 days

Application can proceed with payment as direct to tenant

Application Processing

Payment processed and sent by community org

Attribute

Resources/Org:
-Funding management/GrantCare
-community orgs/ KWA, NLIHC, The Reach center, United Way of King County, Mary's Place

Payment sent to tenant

Landlord docs do not meet application format requirements

Tenant information complete

Landlord does not provide documents

Community org reaches out to landlord

Attributes

Resources/Orgs:
-Business license registrations / local governments
-Document management, Rent watch / Landlord Solutions(more of a long-term fix)

Possible Resources/ orgs:
-Legal assistance/ DCHS via Housing
Justice Project and KC Bar Association

Does not have necessary documentation

Worried about submitting private docs (i.e. tax info, SSC)

Decides to submit application without required documentation

Attribute

Resources/Orgs:
-identity verification software/ TransUnion, Haven Connect, Landlord Solutions, Providers
-rental history verification/ Mary's Place, TransUnion, Landlord Solutions Inc

'Would Be Nice' Resources/org:
-A number to call for documentation retrieval assistance/DCHS
-Secure public repository of documents with permissions/API Access

Doesn't know how to upload documents

Does not reach out for help/ is not in touch with community org for help

Does not complete application

Portal admin refers case to case manager

Case manager reaches out

Tenant engages with case manager and submits docs

Tenant does not respond

Case manager reaches out with different mode of communication

Tenant does not respond

Case manager reaches out with different mode of communication

Tenant does not respond

Case manager reaches out with notification of case closure

Can access application

Tenant takes no action; landlord cannot access rental assistance

Landlord initiates application

Landlord knows where to apply

Leaves without notice to landlord. Debt on record, bad record for future rental

Does not know that still eligible for paying backrent

Doesn't seek assistance

Negatively impacts future housing opportunities (hard to get a landlord to agree to rent)

Attribute

Resources/Org:
-can help w/ negative rental history/ Mary's Place

Attribute

Resources/Org:
-Participant databases / United Way of King County, CBOs
-Support for Service Providers / Housing Connector

'Would be nice' Resources/Orgs:
-If receiving government assistance, a notification of resources available to them when making a change of address notification

Uncooperative landlord

Community org. helps tenant apply for rental assistance even if moved out of unit

What legal help available? Do people access it?

Can landlord submit all application materials at this point or do they have to wait until tenant has finished application?

"Submitting" an application does not mean the application is complete, but it pushes the application into the portal system where administrators can then follow up on the incomplete application.

"Complete Application" means all required information from tenant and landlord are in the system for review.

Per Treasury guidance (10/21) still priority to have landlord cooperation and direct to landlord payment, so there will be efforts to engage a landlord to attempt to complete the landlord information and enable direct-to-landlord payment

Community org requests 200 application batch

Guidance has changed to allow 18 months total payments. Tenants previously approved for 12 mos may now be eligible for further assistance.

Payments can be for up to 18 months of assistance, but previously only 12 were allowed. People may be eligible for additional assistance beyond what was initially approved.

May be eligible for additional rental assistance IF guidance changes from Treasury

Elaborate: What happens to application if tenant moves out? Previously made ineligible, but currently would still be eligible.

Currently (10/21) no way for multi-unit landlords to submit a batch of applications. must be individual

Landlord is left with unpaid back-rent, and under current (10/21) guidance is not able to access rental assistance funds.

Landlord cannot evict for non-payment if eviction moratorium in place

Unclear which application portal to use

Tenant unaware of assistance options, does not apply and receives no support

Application Accessibility

Tenant starts but does not finish application

Tenant outcomes once application is approved

Tenant receives RA support but has ongoing inability to pay rent

Tenant experiences major job or income loss due to Covid

Tenant must decide how to limit expenses or increase income

Tenant pays rent, but not utilities

Eventually income is too limited

Tenant moves in with friends or family

Tenant finds new/additional source of income

Tenant can pay rent and utilities in current housing

Tenant moves to new housing closer to new job

Tenant has stable income but hears of eviction moratorium and decides to stop paying rent

In this case, would not be eligible for RA unless meets other eligibility criteria, including household job loss due to Covid and income eligibility

Tenant has stable income but is rent burdened

Tenant experiences reduction in income due to Covid

Tenant has stable income and is not rent burdened

Rental assistance is also available to tenants who owe ONLY utilities. How to include that?

Until 8/21 moving would render tenant ineligible for assistance

Tenant owes more months of utility payments than rent payments.

Tenant vacates before accessing/knowing to access rental assistance

Common scenarios leading to non-payment of rent

Policy influences/notes

Hourglass indicates parts of the journey that cause major delays in the process

Description of phase

Step in process

Thick arrow...

... indicates most common pathway

Impact Journey: Tenant Seeking Rental Assistance

This impact journey is drafted from the perspective of a tenant (which includes both families and individual tenants) seeking support from federally-funded rental assistance in 2021. It is intended to highlight bottlenecks a tenant experiences as a way to highlight opportunities for innovation to improve the experience for the tenant. This would also improve the experience for other stakeholders, including landlords/property managers, fund administrators, and community organization case managers.

This is a draft version still in development. Current events and policy changes will lead to updates to this map, as will continued research by the NewImpact project team.

Currently (10/21) there is no automated approach or rapid process to move application from sumbission to approval without manual review.

Impact Journey is based on data collected in Pierce and King Counties in Washington State from October to November 2021.

Not currently a limiting factor, but stakeholders expressed concern that funds will eventually run out

Tenant has stable income but is rent burdened

Tenant has stable income and is not rent burdened

Tenant misses rent or utility payments

Wants support

Landlord knows where to apply

Landlord initiates application

Finds info on rental assistance

Finds correct RA portal

Tenant starts application

Tenant information complete

Landlord provides supporting docs

Application approved

Payment to landlord sent

Tenant stays in housing, no rent increase for 6mo

Payment covers full amount due, rent and utilities

Tenant remains housed and free of backrent

Tenant receives RA support but has ongoing inability to pay rent

Tenant outcomes once application is approved

Application Processing

Landlord docs do not meet application format requirements

Uncooperative landlord

Community orgs follow up on incomplete applications submitted through portal

Tenant starts but does not finish application

Application Accessibility

Unclear which application portal to use

Landlord initiates application

Tenant unaware of assistance options, does not apply and receives no support

Awareness of rental assistance programs

Tenant vacates before accessing/knowing to access rental assistance

Common scenarios leading to non-payment of rent

Has all necessary documentation, is comfortable submitting private documents, and knows how to upload documents

Complete application submitted

Payment sent to tenant

Impact Journey: Tenant Seeking Rental Assistance

The "ideal" path is illustrated in green. The blue boxes show where the reality often becomes more complicated than the green path would suggest. The following pages elaborate on these areas.