Landlords who may be skittish about renting apartments to homeless veterans and others who may have fallen on hard times need not worry, according to a couple who provides such rentals.
The hassles are few, and the rewards, many, said Jason and Pam Melby, who own rental properties in La Crosse and own or manage others in Tomah, where they rent to more than 20 veterans.
“Our experience has been tremendous,” said Jason, a La Crosse police captain who also is on the design committee of the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness. “Renting to vets and people who have served our country is the right thing to do.”
It also vaults over the typical landlord-tenant relationship, Pam said, explaining, “They view me as a friend. I like working with them. I always say be kind because you don’t know what battles people may be having.”
The collaborative is operating on a 100-day deadline, having intended to identify 15 rental units by Veterans Day in its quest to help 12 homeless veterans move in by Christmas Day.
With that first deadline looming Friday and appearing elusive, the collaborative remains undeterred in its overall goals, said Kim Cable, who chairs the group.
The optimism springs from success so far, from having located apartments for eight, helping gather furnishings and other supplies and helping them move in since the collaborative launched its effort on Sept. 15, she said.
“It’s a live document. We get some house and become aware of new veterans,” Cable said. “What we really need are one-bedroom units inside and outside of La Crosse.”
The reason some quarters are needed outside of the city is that some of the veterans have housing vouchers with that stipulation, she said.
Most of those chits are called HUD/VASH vouchers, with “VASH” standing for the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, which includes a variety of support services and caseworkers for the vets.
“The experience we’ve had with the HUD/VASH program has been really good,” Jason Melby said. “I would say the wrap-around services and case workers make all of the difference in the world.”
Landlords often have to address issues with tenants, he said.
“In managing the properties appropriately, the case workers provide an extra security blanket,” Jason said.
“Some haven’t had the social experience of renting, and getting them back requires just a little patience, because it might take a little more effort to manage,” he said.
“The risk with veterans isn’t any different than anybody else. I’ve rented some to people for seven years, and something happens in their life and everything goes south,” said the 44-year-old Jason, who said he bought his first duplex at the age of 19.
“My wife deals with most of this because she manages the properties,” he said. “Some just need someone to talk to sometimes. A lot come in and sit down and talk to her for 10 or 15 minutes. She likes it.
“Some stories are funny, and others are tragic,” he said. “Once they are moved in, you develop a rapport. That’s part of it.”
Pam echoed the sentiment, saying the chats range from everyday topics to deeper issues about their lives and families, as well as checking how things are going with her.
“The apartments are nice, but sometimes, they are just thankful that somebody believed in them,” Pam said. “For some, I’m the only person they have to talk to.”
Such was the case with a veteran who had health issues to the extent that he eventually wasn’t able to make it out much, so she told him to call her when he had the rent payment, and she drove to his apartment to pick it up.
“He’d also call every week to talk,” she said, adding that she became concerned one week when he didn’t call.
She went to his apartment and found that he had died, an unsettling experience for her. Because he had no family, he was buried in Madison in a cemetery with an area for veterans who have no next of kin, Pam said.
Setting his landlord hat aside and donning his police captain cap, Jason said, “From the aspect of law enforcement, it’s not just veterans but generally with homeless people.”
When issues arise with homeless people sleeping in parking ramps or parks or, perhaps urinating in public areas, “the first people called are law enforcement,” he said.
“We could chase them and write tickets, but the issue isn’t behavior. It’s that homeless people don’t have housing. It doesn’t solve anything to write tickets,” Jason said.
“We at the La Crosse Police Department take an active interest” to help homeless people,” he said, noting that Neighborhood Resource Officer Joel Miller recently carried furniture into an apartment to help a veteran get settled.
“It’s better than chasing them around,” he said. “We can do more good by helping them than chasing them around.”
Collaborative members have hosted two sessions for landlords who might be interested in joining its effort and will host a training session Nov. 17, Cable said.
During collaborative team meetings last week, “We found we’re really doing well, and most teams are meeting or exceeding their goals,” she said.
The group’s collections of furniture and household supplies at a warehouse every Saturday of October were so successful that the group has suspended those efforts for now.
“The warehouse is full,” Cable said. “The generosity and outpouring from the community are so amazing, so wonderful. Everybody is pulling together, and it keeps us going.”
Resource : http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/homelessness-collaborative-progresses-as-it-fights-self-imposed-deadline/article_cfe23551-93d9-5c01-b74d-501a6c0f3da5.html
The hassles are few, and the rewards, many, said Jason and Pam Melby, who own rental properties in La Crosse and own or manage others in Tomah, where they rent to more than 20 veterans.
“Our experience has been tremendous,” said Jason, a La Crosse police captain who also is on the design committee of the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness. “Renting to vets and people who have served our country is the right thing to do.”
It also vaults over the typical landlord-tenant relationship, Pam said, explaining, “They view me as a friend. I like working with them. I always say be kind because you don’t know what battles people may be having.”
The collaborative is operating on a 100-day deadline, having intended to identify 15 rental units by Veterans Day in its quest to help 12 homeless veterans move in by Christmas Day.
With that first deadline looming Friday and appearing elusive, the collaborative remains undeterred in its overall goals, said Kim Cable, who chairs the group.
The optimism springs from success so far, from having located apartments for eight, helping gather furnishings and other supplies and helping them move in since the collaborative launched its effort on Sept. 15, she said.
“It’s a live document. We get some house and become aware of new veterans,” Cable said. “What we really need are one-bedroom units inside and outside of La Crosse.”
The reason some quarters are needed outside of the city is that some of the veterans have housing vouchers with that stipulation, she said.
Most of those chits are called HUD/VASH vouchers, with “VASH” standing for the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, which includes a variety of support services and caseworkers for the vets.
“The experience we’ve had with the HUD/VASH program has been really good,” Jason Melby said. “I would say the wrap-around services and case workers make all of the difference in the world.”
Landlords often have to address issues with tenants, he said.
“In managing the properties appropriately, the case workers provide an extra security blanket,” Jason said.
“Some haven’t had the social experience of renting, and getting them back requires just a little patience, because it might take a little more effort to manage,” he said.
“The risk with veterans isn’t any different than anybody else. I’ve rented some to people for seven years, and something happens in their life and everything goes south,” said the 44-year-old Jason, who said he bought his first duplex at the age of 19.
“My wife deals with most of this because she manages the properties,” he said. “Some just need someone to talk to sometimes. A lot come in and sit down and talk to her for 10 or 15 minutes. She likes it.
“Some stories are funny, and others are tragic,” he said. “Once they are moved in, you develop a rapport. That’s part of it.”
Pam echoed the sentiment, saying the chats range from everyday topics to deeper issues about their lives and families, as well as checking how things are going with her.
“The apartments are nice, but sometimes, they are just thankful that somebody believed in them,” Pam said. “For some, I’m the only person they have to talk to.”
Such was the case with a veteran who had health issues to the extent that he eventually wasn’t able to make it out much, so she told him to call her when he had the rent payment, and she drove to his apartment to pick it up.
“He’d also call every week to talk,” she said, adding that she became concerned one week when he didn’t call.
She went to his apartment and found that he had died, an unsettling experience for her. Because he had no family, he was buried in Madison in a cemetery with an area for veterans who have no next of kin, Pam said.
Setting his landlord hat aside and donning his police captain cap, Jason said, “From the aspect of law enforcement, it’s not just veterans but generally with homeless people.”
When issues arise with homeless people sleeping in parking ramps or parks or, perhaps urinating in public areas, “the first people called are law enforcement,” he said.
“We could chase them and write tickets, but the issue isn’t behavior. It’s that homeless people don’t have housing. It doesn’t solve anything to write tickets,” Jason said.
“We at the La Crosse Police Department take an active interest” to help homeless people,” he said, noting that Neighborhood Resource Officer Joel Miller recently carried furniture into an apartment to help a veteran get settled.
“It’s better than chasing them around,” he said. “We can do more good by helping them than chasing them around.”
Collaborative members have hosted two sessions for landlords who might be interested in joining its effort and will host a training session Nov. 17, Cable said.
During collaborative team meetings last week, “We found we’re really doing well, and most teams are meeting or exceeding their goals,” she said.
The group’s collections of furniture and household supplies at a warehouse every Saturday of October were so successful that the group has suspended those efforts for now.
“The warehouse is full,” Cable said. “The generosity and outpouring from the community are so amazing, so wonderful. Everybody is pulling together, and it keeps us going.”
Resource : http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/homelessness-collaborative-progresses-as-it-fights-self-imposed-deadline/article_cfe23551-93d9-5c01-b74d-501a6c0f3da5.html
