Rapid Re-housing

Your Path to a Safe Home

Rapidly Rebuild Your Life

The Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA) has a program/intervention that uses a Housing First approach as a critical part of our community’s effective homeless crisis response system. The program targets individuals and households with children who are coming directly from the streets or emergency shelters, in order to make their experience of homelessness as brief as possible. Accomplishing this involves quickly moving them into permanent housing and supporting the household in their efforts to live as independently as possible.

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, please call or email.

Our Rapid Re-Housing program connects individuals and families experiencing homelessness to permanent housing through a tailored package of assistance that may include:

Financial and Rental Assistance

Security Deposits

Rental Application Fees

Moving Costs

Housing Navigation, Search, and Placement

Housing-Based Case Managment (HBCM)

Mediation Between Landlord and Tenant

Legal Services

Targeted Supportive Services

Linking Referrals to Community Resources

Emergency Help When you Need it

The Rapid Re-housing (RRH) program helps individuals and families who are literally homeless or in emergency shelters solve the practical and immediate challenges of obtaining permanent housing; it also aims to reduce the amount of time they experience homelessness. This helps avoid a near-term return to homelessness and enables them to achieve long-term housing stability. The following is a list of important steps RRH staff take with their clients in the housing navigation process to determine the kind of housing options participants want and can maintain.

The Rapid Re-Housing program works in collaboration through other organizations to help individuals as well as households from facing homelessness.

Rapid Re-housing Process

NMCAA’s Rapid Re-housing process follows these steps: assist, arrange, arrange accompany, prepare, arrange or provide, negotiate, ensure, develop, and obtain.

Homeless Prevention is Dedicated to Helping our Community

Street Outreach

The Homeless Prevention team was able to help 368 people experiencing homelessness in 2022.

Housing Program

The Homeless Prevention team was able to aid 518 people through the Housing Program in 2022.

Participants to gather information and complete a standardized rental application.

Visits to the partner landlord units that match participant preferences; accompany participants when possible or needed.

Or assist participant to set up interviews with landlords who are a likely match for the individual’s Tenant Screening Barriers and negotiate with or on behalf of participants.

Participant for landlord interviews (i.e., coach participants on how to respond to potential questions about Tenant Screening Barriers); accompany participants to interviews when possible or needed.

Transportation for housing search and/or interviews and help to arrange for childcare during interviews when needed.

The lease terms with the landlord. When necessary, discuss any additional incentives that may convince a landlord to accept a person/household with particularly high Tenant Screening Barriers, such as a criminal history.

That the unit, terms of the lease, and rental cost meet funder requirements. Ensure that the participant understands lease requirements before signing.

Agreements, when appropriate or helpful, between RRH agency and landlord.

Participant consent to release information to and from the landlord, such as through a Landlord-Case Manager Communication Agreement.

The key to a RRH program participant’s success is to utilize a problem-solving conversation to assist in identifying and accessing a variety of permanent housing options from the moment they are enrolled in the program. Housing identification goes well beyond recruiting and maintaining landlords. RRH staff play a significant role in working with program participants to develop an individualized housing identification plan that is reflective of a person-centered approach.

Contact the Rapid Re-housing program

The Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency is dedicated to supporting its community members – if you, or someone you know, is experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, please call or email.

Rapid Re-housing Programs Offered

Rapid Rehousing programs help serve individuals as well a adults with children.

Housing and Urban Development Rapid Re-housing

Serves adult households (25 years and older) experiencing chronic homelessness and can include single adults or adults with minor children in the household.

The Rapid Re-Housing Program helps parents that are expecting and or have minor children.

Housing and Urban Development Youth Pregnant or Parenting Rapid Re-housing

Serves young adults under 25 years old (18-24) who are pregnant or parenting with minor children in the household, and who are experiencing homelessness.

The Rapid Re-Housing program helps young adults without kids.

Housing and Urban Development Individual Youth Rapid re-housing

Serves single young adults under 25 years old (18-24) without minor children in the household, and who are experiencing homelessness.

NMCAA works with the Michigan Housing Development Authority Emergency Solutions Grant to help individuals and families.

MI State Housing development Authority Emergency Solutions Grant Rapid Re-housing

Serves individuals and/or families who are experiencing literal homelessness or fleeing/attempting to flee domestic violence (DV) (if the individual or family is also literally homeless).