Landlord Liaison and Renters' Readiness offered by Associated Ministries

The Renters' Readiness Certification (RRC) is a series of free courses offered to the community by the Housing Specialist Center that provide tenants with powerful tools to become a knowledgeable renter. The series consists of 2 courses per month, usually on different weekdays of each month. These classes are FREE and open to all housing shoppers, service providers, landlords and community members. RRC is brought to you by a partnership between the Housing Specialist Center at Associated Ministries, Pierce County Housing Authority, Fair Housing Center of Washington, Sound Outreach, and Spinnaker Property Management. CLASS 1 – Landlord/Tenant Rights & Relationships Understand your rights and responsibilities under landlord/tenant laws in Tacoma and Washington state. CLASS 2 – Accessing Community Resources / Financial Capability Maintain your rental housing by utilizing community resources that offset costs in other areas of your life. Also hear expert tips on how to search for housing, understand your lease, and become a knowledgeable renter. Landlord Liaison Services Landlord Liaison Services includes services from both Housing Connector and Associated Ministries. The Landlord Liaison Services now has two organizations: Housing Connector and the Housing Specialists Center through Associated Ministries. Housing Connector partners with property owners and service providers, acting as a bridge to connect those experiencing homelessness with vacant units in the community. Their goal is to successfully house individuals and families experiencing homelessness who cannot otherwise access housing due to rental barriers. Property Partners participating with Housing Connector agree to apply Relaxed Screening Criteria to tenant applicants referred for housing through this program. In return, Property Partners receive a variety of incentives including exclusive access to our listing platform on Zillow, free referrals to fill vacancies, risk mitigation services, rent guarantees, vacancy loss incentives, and incident response support. Housing Connector acts as the single point of contact for both Property Partners and Community Service Providers to support tenants if challenges arise during the first two years of tenancy. Associated Ministries’ Housing Specialists Center (HSC) is the tenancy retention section of these services. HSC will provide resources such as utility assistance, local resource referrals, and rental assistance (when funding is available) to help mitigate tenancy for clients housed through the program. Individuals and families housed in the program have access to Renter’ Readiness Certification where they learn how to be better neighbors, are prepared for financial success, and provided resources to aid them throughout their tenancies. Associated Ministries will ensure housing stability by providing extra supports like mediation, conflict resolution, and case management services throughout the second year of tenancy for Rapid Rehousing households that reside in Housing Connector properties. We also provide light case management services for selected households that are placed in Housing Connector units through the Diversion program.

Washington 211