Housing Connector

Housing Connector creates new affordable housing options using data and small incentives for property managers to connect low-income families to existing vacant units in days, not years. Their technology couples accessibility and searchability with predictive modeling and early interventions to help families achieve and maintain stability. Housing Connector has housed over 8,900 people and is on track to house more than 50,000 people over the next five years.

The Problem
In the U.S., over 770,000 people are experiencing homelessness, with an additional 20 million facing housing insecurity. Simultaneously, 3.2 million housing units sit vacant daily. This mismatch, fueled by rental barriers like low credit scores (33% of Americans have credit below 620), eviction records (over 3 million people are evicted annually), and criminal history (one in three have a record), exacerbates homelessness and perpetuates poverty. Beyond it being a humanitarian crisis, simply to manage this problem costs the U.S. over $30 billion a year or $35,000 per homeless individual, annually.

While increasing the supply of affordable housing is key, new units in urban areas take an average of two and a half years to build and cost $245,000 each. We cannot afford the capital or time required to build our way out of this crisis. Millions of vacant units exist that could fill a significant piece of the gap, but they remain invisible to people at risk of homelessness and inaccessible due to screening criteria established to minimize risk for property managers.

The Solution
Housing Connector interrupts the cycles of homelessness and poverty fueling the housing crisis by delivering access and stability to thousands across America at a cost of roughly 1/500th of new construction. Housing Connector offers their technology-powered housing marketplace, built on Zillow, to connect nonprofits, case managers, and residents experiencing housing insecurity to properties with real-time available inventory that have agreed to reduce their screening criteria for residents with barriers. Case managers and future residents receive an enhanced search experience, allowing them to filter according to their barriers, needs, and preferences — expediting the time to move in while creating a more dignified and empowering user experience.

To ensure families maintain stability and avoid evictions, Housing Connector provides a “risk mitigation package” attached to each lease, which promises a financial guarantee of up to three months of emergency rent payments, plus $5,000 in damages and two years of resident-centered stability support services. This upstream support has resulted in 85% of residents maintaining housing stability for one year at a cost of $500 per person per year, and a 2% eviction rate. Currently operating in California, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, Housing Connector is on track to house 13,000 individuals by year end 2025 and more than 50,000 people in 10–15 markets nationwide over the next five years.