Solving Family Homelessness Takes a Community Effort

Household stability is the foundation for successful engagement in school. Positive Tomorrows Family Support team leverages key partnerships and funding sources to secure housing, prevent homelessness and keep families off the street.

Just a few years ago, stabilizing families rising out of homelessness was hard due to the lack of funds to pay rent and move-in costs as a family got back on its feet. Now, through generous contributions from private donors to the Positive Tomorrows housing fund, that money is available. And thanks to our relationship with the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, we also obtained more than 100 Emergency Housing Vouchers to help families pay for housing.

Despite all this, we still have families with housing vouchers in hand that cannot be used. Obtaining a housing voucher is a lifeline for many families on the path toward stabilization. But it’s only half of the equation.

The long-term success of vouchers largely relies on willing property owners that opt to work with housing agencies and voucher holders. If only a small share of rental units is potentially available to voucher holders, it can be an ongoing challenge for families to find a place to rent.

“We need more landlords willing to partner with public and nonprofit agencies in a mutually beneficial way. We want to build better communities together.”

-Kelly Berger, Director of Family Support

Several families have had to leave our school prematurely because the only housing they could find is outside of our service area. It means students are forced to leave a place where they just connected with a counselor, and where they just began to make friends. Parents may have to find new employment or manage complicated logistics to get to a job that’s now far from their home.

Relationships are key to strong communities. Positive Tomorrows continues to see success building mutually beneficial relationships between property managers and tenants.

We partner with landlords – connecting them to incentives, mediating tenant issues and making home improvements where necessary.

We partner with families – connecting them with trusted landlords and providing real-time guidance and financial support to help them be the best tenants possible.

The partnerships are a win for everyone. Property owners gain stable and supported tenants, families are able to continue their path to self-sufficiency, and communities thrive.

A safe and stable home is a foundation all children and families need and deserve.