On Monday, May 15, the Rockridge Community Planning Council (RCPC) hosted a virtual Town Hall about home-sharing services and programs which support homeowners seeking to rent out a bedroom or ADU. This Town Hall is part of an RCPC series on the topic of housing. Below is a summary of the programs discussed (use this link to the Town Hall audio recording).

Oakland Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (slides link)

Mission: To assure the availability of quality housing for low-income persons and to promote the civic involvement and economic self-sufficiency of residents and to further the expansion of affordable housing within Oakland.

How it works: Property owners get their properties approved (adhering to Housing Quality Standards) and execute a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract with Oakland Housing Authority (OHA). A large portion of the rent is paid directly by OHA to the property owner.

What’s included: housing inspection, platform to connect with Housing Choice Voucher participants, and ongoing technical assistance.
Service fees: NO cost to landlord or prospective tenant.

Bonuses:

  • Up to $2,250 in apartment repair reimbursement in order for the unit to meet Housing Quality Standards; paid after the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contract is executed.
  • $1,000 leasing bonus (once lease is signed with tenant and HAP contract is executed with the OHA).
  • Re-rent bonuses for landlords who re-rent to new participants after a move-out (two months of OHA rental assistance is paid if re-rented to a Housing Choice Voucher holder within six months).
    Website: http://www.oakha.org/PropertyOwners/Pages/Becoming-a-Section-8-Landlord.aspx.
    Contact: Teela Carpenter, Assistant Director of Leased Housing at TCarpenter@oakha.org.

Home Match (slides link)

Mission: Building community, one home at a time. Home Match is a shared housing program that provides free, personalized services in the Bay Area.

How it works: Home matching —When two or more people live under the same roof and share common living areas such as a kitchen.

  • Share your home: Turn an available room in your home into an opportunity to earn income, save money, and create new social connections. Your home can make all the difference to a fellow community member facing a difficult housing market.
  • Find your home: Benefit from an affordable home in the community you love. As a supportive homemate, you can often empower people who wish to age-in-place, optionally helping with household activities in exchange for a small reduction in rent (note: caretaking is not permitted).

What’s included: Housing inspection, intake process, background checks, sample lease agreement, income verification, providing homeowners with potential match tenants (selection is solely made by the participants) and ongoing support.
Service fees: NO cost to home provider or home seeker.
Website: https://frontporch.net/community-services.
Contact Rachel Matthews, Program Manager at RAMatthews@frontporch.net.

TRiO Plus (Teachers Rooted in Oakland Plus) (slides link)

Mission: Confronting educational inequity by securing housing that is more affordable for Oakland teachers so our kids stop paying the price for our broken housing system. We believe a marketplace for discounted housing can institutionalize affordable housing not only for educators, but also other underpaid public employees, and not just in Oakland, but statewide. So we built it: The TRiO Plus Affordable Housing Marketplace.

How it works: Property owners connect with staff for a briefing and housing inspection, then list their property on the TRiO Plus Marketplace,
then match with teachers seeking housing. Ongoing technical assistance is available.
Service fees: NO cost to landlord or teachers.
Website: https://www.trioplus.org/
Contact: Andrew@Trioplus.org for property owner assistance.