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Forum for Lucas County Landlords to Discuss Solutions to
Help Struggling Tenants
Special to The Truth
Catholic Charities Family Support and Guidance Ministry will
host a Tenant Readiness Quarterly Landlord Forum 9 a.m. to
noon, Friday, November 14, at 1933 Spielbusch Ave., Toledo,
Ohio.
The event is an opportunity for landlords, property managers
and housing service providers to discuss and address the
eviction problems in Lucas County and find ways to acquire
help for struggling tenants. Attendees will share best
practices, explore new ideas for their businesses and learn
industry techniques. Guest speaker Dan Jachimiak will
discuss a number of topics including fair housing and tips
for effective real estate advertising. Jachimiak has 30
years of experience in real estate and 17 years in property
management.
The Tenant Readiness Program was launched last year to work
with Toledo individuals and families who want to avoid
future eviction and obtain housing they can afford. Each
month, Catholic Charities’ Family Support and Guidance
Program receives over 100 calls from Lucas County families
in need of emergency rent assistance. However, in recent
years, government funding for rent assistance, which
Catholic Charities distributes, has only been available for
a few months each year. In 2013, the agency was able to help
just a fourth of the total callers.
“We need to be more proactive in addressing the eviction
problem in Toledo,” said Brian Rome, Family Support and
Guidance coordinator, noting that 70% of rent assistance
callers are in the first three months of their lease. “Our
goal is to make sure tenants are lease ready and are able to
afford a rental before they sign for it.”
In its first year, the Tenant Readiness program served 50
Lucas County households and 19 landlords. So far, 89 percent
of those households completed the program after they met
income, budget and other personal resource requirements at
the time of lease signing.
Admission for the Tenant Readiness Quarterly Forum is free
of charge. Please RSVP by Wednesday, November 12, to Brian
Rome at 419-244-6711 ext. 222 or
brome@toledodiocese.org.
To learn more about the Tenant Readiness Program, please
contact Rome or visit www.catholiccharitiesnwo.org/tenant-readiness.
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