Last week, Mayor Vincent Gray announced the “500 Families, 100 Days” Campaign – with the goal to move families quickly into long-term housing solutions. It’s an all hands on deck call for community leaders including landlords.
One landlord we work with, Denis A. Bishop, has been providing housing to homeless families in DC since 2011 – about 10 families now.
Mr. Bishop’s partnership with Community of Hope has been vital in providing housing for the homeless, especially during this winter’s extreme temperatures when the number of families seeking shelter has grown to over 700.
He primarily houses families in our Rapid Re-Housing Program, which provides short term rental and utility assistance to recently homeless families.
After the families are housed and sign a lease in their own name, they then work with our team to achieve their employment goals. Over the last two years, 95% of families in this program have not returned to shelter.
When an apartment becomes vacant, Mr. Bishop sends an email to our Housing Specialists -Kay and Amy – alerting them that a unit is available.
This working relationship with Community of Hope’s housing staff creates a partnership that encourages swift placement for families, which has become a priority for Mr. Bishop over the years. “When you hear tenants talk about what they’ve been through to get to where they are, knowing that you are part of the solution to help them get to where they are is a feeling you can’t beat.”
Not only has it been emotionally rewarding, but Community of Hope provides lots of help in managing his relationships with our families. Our housing specialists and case managers are an integral part of their clients’ lives, which allows them to provide mediation for Mr. Bishop and his tenants if any problems or miscommunications arise.
Mr. Bishop has cited that the support from our team is one of the many reasons why he has joined us – and is helping us alleviate homelessness for these families.
