Posted on March 10th, 2020 – HousingWorks celebrates its 20th anniversary of the first comprehensive low-income housing search/apply/solutions tool in the country. BOSTON --- HousingWorks.net is now celebrating its twenty year anniversary as the first comprehensive low-income housing resource in the country, and the only one in New England. At the time of launch in 2000, the low-income housing world was in a different stage of crisis than the current one. Massachusetts had thousands of homeless and at-risk-of-homeless Applicants, whose lives were in dynamic flux, butting up against more than 40 static, inflexible, and impossible-to-navigate silos of low-income housing inventory. These inventories were zealously kept separate by people who felt their job was tied to keeping those silos separate, no matter what the cost to applicants. At the same time, Low-Income Housing Landlords were swamped with thousands of applications from people who would likely never move into their properties. And Oversight Groups inside and outside of government had no way to compare the unduplicated numbers of applicants with comprehensive counts of existing low-income housing units, so planning was relatively ineffective. People joked that the helping systems were the primary obstacle to getting help. Making the situation worse, some groups were putting up single-sector solutions that made the situation worse, because these solutions addressed problems for a small group of people while causing new, worse obstacles for a much larger group. The many broken networks were being further broken into smaller, more-dysfunctional silos. Applicants, Landlords, and Oversight Agencies were working at cross-purposes, so the entire system was both at an impasse and rife with antagonism. But in 2000, the HousingWorks.net system launched after a two-year research process, and in one stroke eliminated the worst problems for all three groups, immediately saving time and money for all three populations, while collecting data as a side effect that allowed everyone to clearly see what the next set of problems could be tacked effectively . The HousingWorks.net model accomplished this not by demanding behavior changes or systems upheaval, but by linking existing action performed by one person in the low-income housing world so that those actions provided solutions for everyone else in the low-income housing world. Essentially, it converted the many broken networks into a functioning symbiotic Ecosystem at the moment of launch.

BACKGROUND: The Low-Income Housing world operates on an entirely different set of rules and circumstances than the housing world that most citizens envision. Because it is an invisible world running on a second track, it may be a helpful first step to conceptualize its three sectors visually:

The service that HousingWorks.net launched in 2000 was composed three modules, each module serving

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“Housingworks provides the ability to complete several applications at a time with one data entry session with the client. Once the client sits for the initial session to enter all the information they are able to apply to many opportunities subsequently allowing their housing goals to be met faster. I have used Housingworks for many years and continue to be impressed with the program's development. I would recommend all social service advocates subscribe to housingworks as it is an extremely helpful tool that saves hours of time for staff and clients.”

- Lisa Dean, Eliot Community Human Services

one of the sectors shown in the previous graphic. The three modules were interactive, so that the more users one sector had, the greater the benefit to the whole system, and the more apparent would be the next steps in addressing the housing crisis. What follows is a brief explanation of each sector, and how the interactive HousingWorks modules served that group:

For APPLICANTS AND THEIR ADVOCATES, the HousingWorks.net system made it easy to locate - and apply to – all their low income housing options in one sweep, across the 40-plus different types of low income housing – and this service was entirely free of cost both to applicants and tax payers. It made housing experts of even first-time users. At the same time, HousingWorks.net offered a paying tier of service to housing advocates with large caseloads or special populations. We included a paying tier because there were no grants in existence at the time that would fund what we had built . Both the free and paid services boosted Fair Housing Access for tens of thousands of non-English speakers, and persons with disabilities, and those with a lack of access to or comfort with computers, by making it possible for their social workers and case managers to handle large caseloads with ease, even if the case manager lacked housing search experience. Our services provided help at every stage of what is generally a years-long housing search process.

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THIS MODULE? As of this anniversary date, more than 800 registered housing advocates - and more than 200,000 applicants for housing - engage with the site to apply to Massachusetts housing programs.

TRY IT YOURSELF: [ The comprehensive housing search is here: https://www.housingworks.net/search/housing ]

[ A list of additional housing resources intended mainly for housing advocates can be seen here: https://www.infoweb.org/HousingAdvocates.html ]

While helping applicants, HousingWorks.net was also assisting DEVELOPERS AND MANAGERS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LOW-INCOME HOUSING across the state; for this group, the HousingWorks model exponentially boosted outreach to target populations, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with Fair Housing regulations regarding equally easy access to all one’s housing options. The system also boosted landlord’s ability to fill hard-to-market units, and helped shorten vacancy times among some landlords; finally, it reduced the number of frivolous / ineligible applications landlords were receiving by directing applicants to the many other options in their preferred area that they had now known existed. At the same time, HousingWorks.net offered landlords with large or complicated waitlists a paying tier of service: the primary service being a centralized waitlist tool that allows exponentially fewer staff to handle many waitlists, and also helps fill vacancies with less work.

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THIS MODULE? As of this anniversary date, all low-income and affordable landlords in New England benefit from the free service, while the paid tier of service is in use among some of the highest-rated Management groups, such as 2Life Communities, Winn Residential, and Peabody Properties.

TRY IT YOURSELF: [ Search for specific properties that you know and click on their name to read the details about that property: https://www.housingworks.net/search/housing ]

[ A full list of landlord services can be viewed at: https://www.infoweb.org/HousingProviders.html ]

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For GOVERNMENT FUNDING AGENCIES AND OVERSIGHT GROUPS, the HousingWorks service provided first-ever (and still the only) real-time data-reporting tool across applicant populations and across all 40-plus types of low-income housing in Massachusetts. The provision of these reports arrived some years after the launch of the other two modules, one obvious reason being that the system needed a critical mass of applicant history to be present, but a fascinating and less obvious reason being, no one had previously conceptualized what kinds of reports might be meaningful.

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THIS MODULE? The most recent example of success was that data provided by HousingWorks was instrumental in influencing Boston’s decision to become only the second City in the country to create and fund its own Rental Subsidy Voucher Program (proudly announced by Mayor Marty Walsh in his January 2020 State of the City speech) See: https://www.infoweb.org/Marketing/Coalitions.html#coalitions

A few of these first-in-the-nation reports are included in the Press Release, but many others are available for download via this link: [ https://www.infoweb.org/PolicyAndPlanning.html#reports ]

EVOLUTION and REFINEMENT: In its long start-up stage, HousingWorks relied heavily on the support of non-profits that were alarmed at the growing difficulty in getting clients housed. One example of support provided was Cambridge Cares About AIDS, which donated office space, technical support, and more to HousingWorks for its first several years.

The HousingWorks.net modules launched in 2000 included many firsts, but the system also evolved in many ways: it moved to a more powerful open-source platform (Drupal); changed hosting services to one with the highest reputation for data protection (RIMUHousing.com); the workflow for users was streamlined (an ongoing process); and many more features were introduced, based on user suggestion.

Specific refinements for Applicants and their Advocates included: having more ways to search and filter housing results: having the option to read great detail about each property prior to applying, for example: “The building is fully wheelchair accessible but there is a steep hill from to the bus-stop”; the addition of photos of each property; a simpler printing and mailing process; an automated housing log option; having the ability to apply electronically where possible; and most importantly, the introduction of “Fast Fill” applications, where those applicants willing to type the first two pages of an application would find that much of the rest of the application was auto-completed. Each of these refinements represented a huge step forward for one or more populations in crisis - and many aspects of the model were first-ever implementations in the country.

Among the many housing advocacy users that have purchased the HousingWorks services for multiple years include: MA DMH, Catholic Social Services, Eliot Community Human Services, Domestic Violence agencies, AIDS Service organizations, Ex Offender offices, and several Boston City Hall departments.

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“HousingWorks increased access to all affordable housing opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth upon its launch. Since then, it has grown by leaps and bounds in helping people navigate the housing gauntlet with greater ease and speed. We are proud to have recognized its value so early on, and to have provided support for a system that has become so ingrained across the state.”

- Daniel Curley, Executive Director for CCAA in 2000

Refinements for Developers and Managers of public and private low-income housing included: a faster work flow to build waitlists; easier ways to run lotteries; automated mailing processes whereby 5000 letters could be prepared, printed, and at the Post Office in under six hours; and most importantly, a service whereby HousingWorks staff maintain waitlist for landlords who often don’t have staff capacity at all times for what is a daily effort; but paramount among these was the creation of a centralized waitlist system that kept each household’s data private for each property, but at the same time, allowed that applicant’s changes of information to update all the other waitlists that household had applied to. This centralized waitlist that is now in use by many well-known Management offices such as Winn Residential, 2Life Communities, and Peabody Properties.

Refinements for Government Funding Agencies and Oversight Groups included: setting up a user-group cross-sector to work together to take data from HousingWorks and use it to shape new and innovative government policy; and polling of interested persons to help design the reports we would run. Since the ability to run data cross sector was new, the possible reports that we could run had not been envisioned. It took HousingWorks and its many stakeholders quite some time to arrive at what might be the most useful data that we would mine from the system. (Since the low-income housing world operates under significantly different circumstances than market or income-restricted housing, the types of reports that are needed are also different.) The two graphics below demonstrate information that is unique but vital to this invisible world; prior to HousingWorks, it has never been possible to get this kind of data in real time across different housing types.

The first graphic shows an unduplicated count, run on September 1 for each of the last four years, of households in the Boston area who were full-time employed but homeless or at risk of homelessness at that moment in time. As you can see, numbers of households in this situation have increased. This increase is in part because HousingWorks gained more landlord clients over those four years, but is also due to increasing gentrification in the Boston area.

When studying this and our other reports, it is important to know that HousingWorks handles, at most, only 1/10th of the waitlists for the city of Boston, so actual numbers are - without question – always higher.

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“Catholic Social Services has been using various HousingWorks programs for over ten years. The Housing Search Application tool is by far one of the most useful, invaluable, and innovative tools our case managers have at their disposal. The time it saves in applying for multiple affordable housing waiting lists in incredible. This program helps alleviate the burden of housing search for the homeless families we work with across the Southcoast region. Many congratulations on this milestone achievement of twenty years of doing good work. Thank you to the entire Housing Works team for leading the charge in eliminating barriers to affordable housing across all of Massachusetts.”

- Martha Reed, Grants & Quality Coordinator for Catholic Social Services

A second report (next page) shows that there are two different ways to measure waitlist times (average waitlists, and worst-case wait times). It is important to use both measurements to assess whether initiatives to reduce homelessness are working enough for citizens.

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Average Wait-Times for 1BR Low Income Units, Past Four Years

Worst Waitfor 1BR Low Income Units, Past Four Years

BARRIERS REMOVED BY THE COMPREHENSIVE HOUSINGWORKS SERVICE: Below is a partial list of barriers that HousingWorks eradicated in 2001, simply by launching. The barriers listed below describe the many different moments in time during the process of applying for low-income housing when an applicant might first realize the impossible scope of work required, and be broken, or choose to give up. It is vital to understand that these barriers for applicants also caused problems for landlords as well, such that any solution for applicants had to carefully consider all possible repercussions for landlords:

Stage 1: Locating all Low-Income Housing Possibilities

Barrier 1 The impossibility of locating and using 40- plus housing directories.Barrier 1.2 The relative lack of trained Housing Advocates – and not being eligible for an Advocate.Barrier 1.3 Reducing thousands of calls and mountains of paperwork for Landlords.Barrier 1.4 Eliminating the unjust and heretofore unsolvable obstacles due to English skill level,

Disability, access to computers and printers, and the fundamental illogic of imposing a massive new-learning effort for the homeless, in spectacular defiance of what we know about the capacity for learning new skills during a period of crisis.

Stage 2: Applying for Housing

Barrier 2.1 Simplified Strategies used in deciding “Where to Apply”.Barrier 2.2 Fulfilling Application Requirements.Barrier 2.3 Overcoming language barriers and lack of Standardized Terminology.Barrier 2.4 Understanding when Housing Priorities are Meaningful.

Stage 3: Updating Waiting Lists (since most applicants will wait for years for a unit)

Barrier 3.2 Submitting complete applications (a major barrier) Barrier 3.3 Reviewing Applications and Adding Applicants to WaitlistsBarrier 3.4 Filing and Storage of paper applicationsBarrier 3.5 Updating Waitlists for thousands of applicants who will never move in Barrier 3.6 Heavy Staff turnover in Low-Income Housing Provider offices.

The more HousingWorks gets institutionalized and supported by government, and the more word-of-mouth growth continues, the more barriers are eradicated. This is often expressed in an increased amount of social capital:

The following link provides a timeline showing the many “first-ever” achievements and honors: https://www.infoweb.org/Timeline/Timeline.pdf Click the purple comment tags to view explanatory text.

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“I serve as an Addiction Recovery Coach and about 99% of my clients are homeless. Before I connected with HousingWorks, my clients would generally get overwhelmed at the idea of completing 30 plus handwritten applications for housing. Through HousingWorks, my clients are more confident and serene as we complete the online application process in a reasonable amount of time.”

-Zakiya Alake, Recovery Coach.

USAGE STATISTICS SHOW THE EASE and EFFECTIVENESS of the HOUSINGWORKS MODULES

(Visit the Google Search Console to Understand the Difference between Clicks and Impressions)

SUMMATION:

The process of launch and implementation was not without its pitfalls, noted President John LaBella. “Our initial implementation was seen in some quarters as an invasion of turf. Government likes to own and control data, so employees who maintain one or more silos probably felt that we came out of left field and put their job at risk. Everyone who works in affordable housing does so out of a sense of mission, so who were we to say we had the ‘best vision’? What kept us going was the knowledge that our system was, in several ways, unique: it was designed by hundreds of actual users across all three sectors; it opened up immediate access to thousands of applicants who were being excluded by the existing system; and in the process of helping, and did no harm to anyone providing housing, or looking for housing. “

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“As you can see from the preceding quote, even prior to launch, HousingWorks was hailed as a welcome relief to households who struggled to find basic information about housing options, rents, amenities, proximity to public transportation, waitlist times, and more. But to the success of the service were three other innovative design elements that were not universally understood at the time and that seem to keep us unique: first, the service we created did not operate as a silo; instead, it provided benefits to one group without creating obstacles for other stakeholders in the low-income housing world; second, the symbiotic design of the HousingWorks system, applicants and landlords meant that landlords and applicants benefitted from the service even if HousingWorks was unknown to them; and, third, unlike most other low-income housing initiatives, the system was designed to provide data as a side effect of increased service for applicants and landlords, rather than the reverse. In this regard, it was - and remains - a near unique implementation in the low-income housing world. The ease with which we have been able to introduce improvements based on feedback from users repeatedly reinforced that our model was the most efficient one both to address current housing issues, and to throw a spotlight on what were logical next issues to address.” John LaBella, founder of HousingWorks:

SITE URLS:

For housing seekers https://www.infoweb.org/HousingSeekers.html

For housing advocates: https://www.infoweb.org/HousingAdvocates.html

For landlords and waitlist administrators: https://www.infoweb.org/HousingProviders.html

For policy and education: https://www.infoweb.org/PolicyAndPlanning.html

For press contacts: https://www.infoweb.org/Marketing/About.html

Timeline of achievements: https://www.infoweb.org/Timeline/Timeline.pdf

‘ANONYMOUS USER’ STATISTICS FROM GOOGLE FOR LAST 12 MONTHS: https://www.infoweb.org/Marketing/20200301_Google.jpg

For more information, contact: HousingWorks.net P.O. Box 231104 Boston, MA 02123-1104

617-504-0577 office support@housingworks.net

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