Permanent Housing Director, Gabe Manriquez, represented the YMCA and our Rapid Rehousing team at the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference held in Washington DC in July. The concept of Rapid Rehousing refers to the idea of getting people into housing first, and connecting with them the supportive services they need to be successful.

The presentation focused on landlord-tenant relationships, and how our support for both sides has led to success in locating housing for homeless young adults. “The Y is a trusted brand, so we are able to use this to build relationships with landlords in our community. Everyone has a connection to the Y”, Gabe stated about the unique position we have to engage with landlords in the area. The YMCA provides a quality Landlord Advocate to all landlords that rent to young adults through the Rapid Rehousing program. This role is in place to assist with building healthy landlord-tenant relationships.

The YMCA prepares young people for housing by providing case management services and tenant education courses before and after move-in. In addition, the YMCA provides pre-screening to discuss housing barriers, and providing financial education through budgeting, and financial assistance.

One of the biggest barriers for young people to get into housing is the money required for the initial move-in. The YMCA helps to eliminate this barrier by providing financial assistance for:

• Application and Administrative Fees
• Move-in Costs
• Rental Assistance Subsidies
• Eviction Prevention Assistance
• Utility Assistance

The YMCA is the largest provider of housing for homeless young adults in King County, housing 290 young people on any given night. Thanks to the support of generous donors, we are able to provide these important services.