On Wednesday, the council will host a panel discussion at the Salvation Army in Moline. It's called Rent-It-Forward. The goal is to listen to landlords talk about serving people who could benefit from federal housing funds.
Ashley Velez, Board Chair of the Quad Cities Housing Council, says if enough landlords agree to work with the agency, it will provide opportunities to help the homeless, and those that are 'couch-surfing'.
"My hope is that we will be able to create the Tenant Academy, which would let us know that landlords are good to work with that. Some landlords, or apartments, you have to have 3 times the rent to even apply. But if you know that they have financial literacy, that they have a support system... would a landlord maybe lower that so it's only 2 times the rent?"
Velez says landlords are reluctant to rent to the homeless, because of past experience. With the support of the tenant academy, renters can establish better relationships with their landlords, take better care of their homes, and pay their rent.
Landlords can learn more about tomorrow's Rent-It-Forward discussion by emailing the QC Housing Council.
