Housing Help and Landlords
The information and resources here are intended to support your efforts to support renters and to recruit and retain landlords in your work to prevent and end homelessness.
Below you will find information and tools from a number of sources. Remember, you can also always search on the Homeless Hub and the Homelessness Learning Hub for further housing help and landlord related information.
Keep checking back here as we will be regularly updating materials and adding further resources.
Webinar – Supporting Renters and Working with Landlords
- Supporting Renters and Working with Landlords (2018) (just the PowerPoint).
- Author reviews the new Landlord Engagement Toolkit;
- Ready to Rent BC Executive Director reviews the nationally available RentSmart program; and
- Waterloo Region’s Housing First lead reviews resources and approach to recruit and retain landlords.
Resources to Support Renters
Toolkits and Other Resources
- Renters’ Toolkits:
- Calgary Drop-In Tenant Resources (online) – list of responsibilities, tips sheets, and links to lots of resources
- Waterloo Region Renters’ Toolkit (online) – information, templates, checklists for a self-directed housing search. Includes resources under the following headings: preparing for your housing search, searching for housing, securing housing and making it a home, staying housed, and deciding to move
- Durham Region Renter’s Toolkit (on-line) an adapted version of the Waterloo Region Renter’s Toolkit that includes Durham Region specific resources
- RentSmart Certificate (from Rent Smart Education and Support Society based in BC) – course to empower tenants to understand their rights and responsibilities, communicate effectively with landlords, neighbours and roommates, budget to maintain their housing, and look after their home. Ready to Rent Ontario was formed to roll out the program in Ontario (report 2021).
- Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA – Ontario) – many resources for tenants – samples below:
- Tenant Self-Advocacy Toolkit (2016) – available in five different languages
- Housing Rights Guide for Youth – 5 page booklet
- Northern Housing Rights Know Your Rights! Guide for Tenants (2015) – addressing experiences of housing discrimination among First Nation, Metis and Inuit people in Northwestern Ontario – also guide & brochure & postcard & video (20 min)
- Federation of Metro Tenants Associations – example of a tenant organizing body with resources, a hotline and tenant school
- Sample Service Guides:
- Sudbury Street Wise Guide (2019)
- Waterloo Region Pocket Card (2019)
- Winnipeg Resource Guide (2021)
- See also tools and resources on the Prevention page.
Home Takeovers
- Housing Units Takeover Hub (Dream Team) – hub of resources on housing unit takeovers (HUTs) for tenants and service providers
- Toronto Housing Unit Takeover Task Force – Safe at Home Report (Dream Team, 2018) – findings, themes and recommendations with strong lived experience engagement.
- Housing Units Takeover Blog introducing the Safe at Home research, the issue and Ottawa resources (Eric Weissman, 2016)
- Ottawa Home Takeover Resources (Crime Prevention Ottawa) – videos, guidebook, posters (in multiple languages), research etc. See all 9 resource videos including an introduction, 7 difference scenarios, and a staff prevention video. See CAEH17 Home Take Over Conference Presentation
- Peterborough-Kawartha Local Work on HUTs Overview (December 2021)
flexible funding
- Centralized Diversion Fund: Using Flexible Funds to Prevent and End Youth and Young Adult Homelessness in Washington State (A Way Home Washington, 2021)
- Flexible Funding – Frequently Asked Questions (NASH, 2019)
- Waterloo STEP Home Flex Fund Report (2011)
- Waterloo Flex Funds Protocol (2019)
Resources to Recruit and Retain Landlords
Toolkits and Other Resources
- The Landlord Engagement Toolkit: A Guide to Working with Landlords in Housing First Programs – (2018) – a Canadian resource with examples and tools from across Canada and links to other resources and toolkits.
- Greater Sudbury Landlord Toolkit (2019) – 16 page booklet for landlords and service providers
- Metro Vancouver Housing Placement Toolkit (2017)
- Private Renting Toolkit – Crisis UK (2017) – lots of tools and resources – some links not working
- Community Solutions Landlord Toolkit – community examples, outreach materials, webinars, link to other resources.
- Core Components of Centralized Landlord Engagement Programs and Community Landlord Engagement Initiatives – USICH (2016) blog with links to resources and examples to help communities recruit and retain new landlords to efforts to end homelessness
- Rapid Re-Housing Toolkit – NAEH (2016) – tonnes of housing identification tools and examples
- One-Pager List of Ideas: Landlord Engagement Ideas and Resources – USICH (2018) and Landlord Outreach Strategies – NAEH (2015)
- Landlord Engagement and Recruitment Deskbook – HUD (2015) – tips and sample documents
- Housing Identification Webinar – NAEH (2014)
- Landlords Like That – 5 min video – From At Home/Chez Soi – Jim meets with two different landlords who have two different reasons for taking a chance on housing At Home tenants
- Toronto Rapid Housing Project – Landlord Letter and Project Q&A
- HOM Inc (Phoenix, AZ) example tools:
- Landlord Brochure
- Landlord Door Hangers
- Blog Posts and Newsletters for Landlords
- Website Forms and Documents
- Padmission Housing Search Platform – HOM and their landlords list available units for our participants and case managers to search
- Webinars
- Landlord Engagement Best Practices – Recording and PDF – (May 2021)
- Housing Liaison Worker CoP Call Recording and PDF (May 2021)
- Housing Identification Webinar – NAEH (2014)
Community Program Examples
- End Homelessness St. John’s Home Connect Program see their one hour Webinar on Facebook that explains the program in more detail
Landlord Mitigation and Repair Fund Programs
- Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund Program – North Dakota – program overview and forms
- Landlord Incentive Fund – Denver – one page program description
- Risk Mitigation Fund Portfolios – USICH (2016) – overview of programs in Orlando, Portland, Seattle and Denver
Head Leasing
- CMHA Kelowna uses head leases – Housing First Scattered Site Program
- The Alex in Calgary uses head leases – pathwaystohousing@thealex.ca
- Vincent Care – example from Australia
- Head Leasing Policy (2019) – Australia
- Info On Head Leases – ONPHA (2015)
- Holding On!: Supporting Successful Tenancies for the Hard to House, p. 64 (Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg, 2014)
Resources for Landlords
- Calgary Drop-In Landlord Resources – a webpage that includes a list of landlord responsibilities (including Minimum Housing and Health Standards) as well as resources
- Toronto Landlordconnect.ca is a free online service and vacancy listing for landlords who rent affordable private market units in Toronto and are interested in working with housing help services
- Toronto Landlordconnect.ca Toolkit (on-line) – developed to assist landlords with all aspects of housing and to create and maintain successful tenancies
- Hamilton Landlord Resource Toolkit (2015) – information for landlords
- Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA – Ontario) – Unlocking the AODA Guide for Landlords (2015) and Unlocking the AODA Toolkit for Landlords (2015)
- Tips on writing a fair rental housing ad by the Human Rights Commission
- Information about and access to Ontario new standard lease, required for use starting April 30, 2018
- Educational video by the Ontario Human Rights Commission about human rights in rental housing
Program Areas
Emergency Shelter | Diversion | Outreach | Housing Help and Landlords | Housing with Support | Prevention | Partnering with Other Systems | Peers and Lived Experience | Indigenous Resources