Shaisha, a Brooklyn resident, faced a difficult decision last year: pay her rent or buy the medication she needs to manage her diabetes. The choice left her thousands of dollars behind on her rent, accumulating approximately $4,500 in arrears. Despite the pressing reality of possible eviction by her landlord, Shaisha found support through the Home 4 Good rental assistance program.
“It was a tremendous help to me,” she said, expressing gratitude for the outreach efforts that connected her with the assistance she needed. “If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
Since its inception in September 2024, Home 4 Good has successfully helped around 800 New Yorkers avoid eviction, partnering with landlords to connect tenants with housing nonprofits, such as RiseBoro Community Partnership and Help USA. These organizations assist tenants in applying for public rental assistance before eviction actions take place.
Landlords participate in the program by referring tenants who are behind on their rent and, in turn, pay an average of $2,500 per tenant who secures assistance, significantly less than the potential $12,000 cost of eviction. This partnership has yielded substantial financial recoveries, with Home 4 Good recouping over $1 million in arrears for landlords since its launch.
Baaba Halm, senior vice president of programs and interim co-president of the solutions division at Enterprise Community Partners, stated, “The impacts to tenants are enormous. We’re getting them support early on, well before there’s even an eviction filing. We have prevented the trauma of housing court, of being subject to litigation that can result in that tenant losing their housing.”
The Home 4 Good initiative has successfully assisted 400 households within just a few months of its launch, with aspirations to help 2,500 households by 2028. Halm noted that the initiative’s success helps to avoid eviction actions altogether.
Antoinette Edwards, a housing navigator at Help USA who helped Shaisha obtain cash assistance through a one-shot deal, described many clients as individuals who have faced personal tragedies. “Most of the clients have just fallen on hard times, which is totally understandable,” Edwards stated. Factors such as job loss or a death in the family have contributed to their financial struggles.
Most tenants, like Shaisha, turn to the program for one-shot deals, often receiving the assistance they need. After addressing tenants’ arrears, Home 4 Good provides them with financial counseling to help maintain their financial stability in the future.
A significant aspect of Home 4 Good’s funding comes from public subsidies that are available to renters throughout New York City. However, navigating these financial assistance programs can be a daunting and time-consuming process. It can take over a month for the approval of rental assistance measures, meaning timely support for tenants is crucial.
Shaisha emphasized the importance of having Edwards guide her through the application process for the one-shot deal. “I’ve never done something like this, and it helped me understand the resources available to me,” she reflected. “They helped me out tremendously.”
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