Archive for the ‘Organizational issues’ Category

Succession Planning for Alliance Property Manager

Posted on: April 6th, 2020

You’ve heard us talking about Bob Bono, our 20+ year property manager and “secret sauce” to
our 2nd chance housing, relational property management operations. Bob is starting to think
about retiring in the next 1-3 years. Alliance is implementing a succession plan for him by
hiring a part-time property manager to train in over the next year to learn the “Alliance way.”

Alliance’s property management begins with low barrier screening that gives adults and
families a 2nd chance to access stable, quality housing despite a background that may include
evictions, poor credit, criminal convictions, or high rent to income ratios. Alliance has
operated housing with this philosophy for the past 25+ years.

Alliance’s tenants often have incomes at or below 30% of area median income. People living
on this level of income are adept at managing occasional set-backs – a car break down, large
medical bills, or assistance to a family member. They simply need some flexibility with rent
payments to remain stably housed. Alliance’s property management is flexible and negotiates
rent payment plans with all tenants who need one.

This management style is unique among property managers – even other nonprofit organizations. It’s not taught in a book or a
class. In its succession planning, Alliance is looking for candidates with a strong foundation in tenant/landlord relations and law.
Combined with the necessary on-the-job training, Alliance looks forward to successfully sustaining its 2nd chance, relational
property management operation past the retirement of our dedicated, long-time employee, Bob.

Home Book Launch Benefits Alliance Housing

Posted on: November 27th, 2019

Over 100 people packed the auditorium at Open Book on October 16th to hear a dozen authors read from Home: An Anthology, exploring the concept of what home means to each of us. Readings ranged from comic to tragic, and all were heartfelt. Executive Director Barbara Jeanetta kicked off the standing-room-only event by thanking the publisher and authors, all of whom donated their work to make the anthology happen. All profits from book sales go to Alliance Housing, Inc. Copies of the book may be ordered from Amazon or at your local bookstore. https://www.flexiblepub.com/home-anthology

Policy Advocacy Gets Action

Posted on: November 27th, 2019

Sometimes the affordable housing crisis seems so big and overwhelming, people shrink from solutions. The tenant-landlord relationship has always been balanced in favor of the landlord and many tenants feel powerless to change it. The need for affordable housing far outstrips public resources despite efforts of the City, State, and County to increase financing programs.

Over the past couple of years, Alliance has stepped into the policy arena with other housing advocates, developers, and tenants. In September, after months of study and public comment, the City Council adopted two tenant protection measures. The first limits how far back landlords can look into a prospective tenant’s background. In the past, many tenants have been screened out of other landlord’s housing because of past criminal background. Alliance Housing has learned, and studies support this finding, that after a few years, screening out these tenants does not make sense. They are no more likely to re-offend, or be a poor tenant, than people without a criminal background. The second protection measure is to limit the dollar amount landlords can charge for security deposits. Alliance and others were active in organizing support for these ordinances.

Also during 2019, Make Homes Happen MPLS (MHH) successfully influenced the Mayor to continue resources for affordable housing in the 2020 budget. The Mayor has proposed a plan to provide $50M of local funds to the Housing Trust Fund over an eight-year period. This is the first step in establishing an ongoing, dedicated affordable housing resource for the City. Alliance is a member of MHH, and its tenants have talked with the Mayor and City Councilmembers, and plan to be at the public hearings on the budget.

Policy and communication efforts are essential to increase the supply of housing & effect change on issues important to the well-being of tenants.

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Politics With A Small “p”

Posted on: November 13th, 2018

The day Mayor Frey announced $40 million in housing funding in his 2019 budget was a good day – and proof that our work in the policy and communications arena can pay off. Alliance Housing, primarily Director Barb Jeanetta and Intern Ryan Cirillo, have been active in the Make Homes Happen campaign. The campaign is made up of nonprofit developers, service providers and tenant advocates focused on increased resources and better policy to support tenants and owners of affordable housing in the City of Minneapolis. Primarily, the group has been advocating for $50 million in dedicated funding for affordable housing production, preservation and tenant protections over the next 10 years. The group considers Mayor Frey’s $40 million one year commitment a good start and is now working with Council Members to maintain and or increase that amount and make it a more permanent annual amount.

Over the last 6 months, Ryan has been updating our tenant survey. Alliance created the biennial tenant survey in order to identify the policy issues that our tenants are most invested in. As a result, when Alliance intervenes in local and state politics, we can more accurately advocate for our tenants because we have an abundance of data telling us where they stand on important issues.

This year, we spoke to 50 tenants from nearly all properties, including Hiawatha Commons and Gateway Lofts. We found that, in the past two years since the last survey, our tenants have become increasingly concerned with how the housing market interacts with the criminal justice system, the issue of affordable housing, and living wages/Social Security payments. Alliance intends on using this data to continue our history of advocating for our tenants’ rights.

During the next year, Alliance staff, board and tenants will continue to engage with Make Homes Happen and in the Homes For All MN coalition which is focused on State-level policy and resources. We’re encouraged that the MN Council of Nonprofits is hiring a policy advocate to focus on economic security issues, including affordable health care and child care. Those issues are of interest to our tenants and Alliance will find a good way to align. We keep appraised of issues at the federal level that need our attention through our membership in the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Through the survey and staff relationships, we’ve been able to engage tenants in meetings with their elected official and other campaign & coalition events. Board and staff also maintain relationships with elected officials in local, state and federal districts where we own properties. From time to time, we engage donors who live in districts where key housing issues are playing out.