Address
Form of workScope of Work
About Glendale:
Glendale provides various programs designed to build strong neighborhoods and support low- to moderate-income families. Programs are designed to address Glendale residents' short, medium, and long-term needs. Our purpose is to unite our community with resources that provide solutions that ensure and sustain stable housing. On any night, countless residents do not have a place to call home. These are our neighbors, and together we can ensure that we all have stable homes.
Through emergency financial assistance, community partnerships, data analytics, and training, Glendale strives to prevent and end homelessness. We can strengthen our community with a collective effort to prevent and end homelessness. In 2021, Glendale launched The Glendale Homeless Solutions Alliance, a partnership of multiple agencies that provide a comprehensive spectrum of services to individuals and households in Glendale that are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Through extensive coordination, the GHSA provides a "no wrong door" approach to accessing services, streamlines coordination through a trauma-informed care approach, and focuses on individual client needs to help them develop a plan of action to end their homelessness.
The GHSA is funded by the City of Glendale with leveraged funds from participating providers and is managed by our community partner Central Arizona Shelter Services, at the Norton and Ramsey Empowerment Center.
To further these efforts, Glendale is searching for a contracted Landlord Liaison, which will have one goal to centralize and strengthen landlord outreach and engagement. We believe this will allow Glendale to support landlord needs while simultaneously connecting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness with the rental units scattered throughout the City. Our community's success hinges on our ability to identify a large number of landlords and units available and willing to accept housing program participants. This contracted Landlord Liaison will be crucial in achieving these goals and overseeing our centralized landlord outreach and engagement initiative.
Purpose:The City is seeking a qualified candidate to manage our landlord Liaison initiative. s The contracted Landlord Liaison will assist the City in retaining and attracting landlords who accept subsidized housing and want to partner with the City in providing Glendale residents with safe and affordable housing options. The contracted Landlord Liaison will provide subject matter expertise on landlord / tenant issues, market conditions, real-time housing inventories and engagement strategies.
Need Problem:
Due to the compounding effects of shortages in housing availability, negative perceptions of subsidized housing, and its clientele, the City is experiencing an extra strain on public housing resources. There are not enough landlords in the City willing to accept our clients and it will be the contracted Landlord Liaison's responsibility to attract and retain landlords willing to provide rental units to the City's housing clients by engaging and building trust with Landlords. It is vital that we understand the needs of our landlords, hear their concerns, find solutions and be a partner in solving our City's housing crisis.
Anticipated Terms of the Temporary Contract:
It is anticipated that the term of the contract awarded will be for a period of up to one (1) year with two, one (1) year renewal options. The City reserves the right to determine the length of the initial contract term or any subsequent renewals. This contract will be funded by CDBG CV (Cares Act) funding.
Contract Deliverables:
- Attend 3- day Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) training and meet with staff to learn about the City's various affordable housing programs.
- Develop and execute a needs assessment tool to determine the perceptions and needs of landlords, tenants, and market conditions. Use this information to identify ways to increase Landlord acceptance of housing-subsidized clients.
- Create a written outreach strategy to recruit and retain new landlords and property managers.
- Develop materials to be used in coordination with landlord outreach and engagement, such as brochures and mailings, and develop landlord-focused content for the Glendale website.
- Build and maintain a qualified database of all rental units in Glendale, identifying the landlord or property management company, rental rate, occupancy rate and acceptance of subsidies, including an accounting of lost/recaptured landlords, etc.
- Build and sustain relationships with property managers and landlords, expand their understanding and acceptance of subsidized housing clients by conducting an average of 20 onsite visits at prospective properties weekly.
- Educate landlords on how various programs work, including timeframe and potential payment breakdown.
- Negotiate with landlords experiencing conflict to find solutions to problems.
- As requested, mitigate issues with landlords to avoid filing evictions.
- Help manage landlord expectations and act as a resource while the City or its partners manages the client aspect.
- Increase the number of landlords who participate in housing programs and who may be willing to modify their screening criteria to make their units more accessible, increasing the access to housing units, and streamline city-level processes to make the housing process more effective.
- Develop and maintain a system for tracking detailed information about the number of engagements, progress, outcomes, milestones, etc. with the landlords.
- Maintain awareness of and communicate changes in market and community processes that can impact services; meet with staff and provide a written status report on market trends, changes, issues, and recommendations.
- Plan and host a minimum of (2) landlord trainings with existing partners to develop and strengthen relationships.
- Produce a weekly report that tracks all efforts and outreach conducted
- Attend and participate in weekly staff meetings.
Timeline:
- Quarter 1 - Contract begins, learn programs, and meet with key staff, needs assessment of landlords/tenants/ market study, draft outreach plan and materials, update content for City website.
- Quarter 2 - Finalize and execute outreach plan, develop a database of landlords in Glendale and track crucial rental information, along with their interest in accepting subsidized housing clients.
- Quarter 3 - Assess progress and success or weakness and adjust methods as needed.
- Quarter 4 - Assess progress and success or weakness and adjust methods as needed.
Payment Structure:
Contractors submitting a proposal are expected to provide a schedule of hourly rates and other reasonably anticipated material charges. The payment structure of the contract awarded from this RSQ will be based on a line-item budget reimbursement. However, the City will consider proposals to structure payments in a different manner and contractors are encouraged to propose innovative payment structures. The City is especially interested in the contract Landlord Liaison saving lost landlords, diverting evictions and recruiting landlords with rental units in more affluent areas of Glendale and encourage applying contractor to provide a bonus pay structure for meeting this special area of interest. The City reserves the right to select any payment structure that is in the City's best interest.
Resources:
The City of Glendale subscribes to Yardi and ARMLS and is available as need to the contracted Landlord Liaison.
- Strong sales ability.
- Demonstrated knowledge of Fair Housing laws and practices and tenant/landlord/relations preferred.
- Knowledge of housing issues in Glendale preferred.
- Experience with working with people experiencing housing instability or homelessness.
- Strong understanding of the homeless population and willingness to house those most vulnerable.
- Ability to work closely with City staff employees to ensure a positive, constructive environment within the program or department and throughout the agency.
- Excellent professional writing and verbal communication skills.
- Strong work ethic and integrity.
- Goal-oriented and results-driven.
- Strong interpersonal skills, professional presence, and ability to interact with a diverse audience.
- Experience in a social service setting is preferred.
- A minimum of three (3) years of experience in property management, housing management, and/or real estate preferred.
