Social Serve- Affordable Housing

Practical Solution

The “How To”

Households can utilize Social Serve to relocate to higher opportunity neighborhoods with better schools and access to jobs. Also Social Serve can help households stay in gentrifying neighborhoods. Neighborhoods should use Social Serve to help stabilize properties. Landlords can find good tenants. Local governments and housing authorities can use Social Serve to help the health of the overall community and to further their Fair Housing policies.

This service is available online for Missouri residents or for Illinois residents. You can reach the Social Serve hotline toll-free at 1.877.428.8844. Social Serve helps individuals rent and buy homes. The site features a variety of search options, mapping features, and detailed information about listed units. Their services provide lead safe housing, a livability index, and pre-screening of the surrounding areas. Social Serve offers disaster housing response service and can specialize in senior facilities placement. Social Serve does work with public housing authorities, government and state housing agencies, and tenant service professionals. Tenants with properties that still have remains of lead and asbestos should contact the EPA on their lead resource and view the OneSTL tool Home Improvement Guide.

For Residents Looking for Housing

Visit socialserve.com. Choose Missouri or Illinois, and type in the city you wish to find housing in. Social Serve will provide the address, the type of unit, monthly rent and deposit, the number of beds and bathrooms, contact information, date availability and a map. Additional information that Social Serve may offer will include Voucher housing familiarity, and detailed information on housing units. Handicap accessibility and senior living options are available as well.

Low-income residents should look to locate housing in high opportunity area. These include areas with a good standard living, good jobs and accredited schools. The National Center for Education Statistics can provide statistics on school districts throughout the county.

For Landlords

Individuals interested in leasing out their property can post information about their property on the website as well. There landlord information is provided. The Fair Housing Act prohibits the refusal of sale and rental of housing and mortgage lending, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap. An overview of the Housing Choice Voucher Program process, how to list properties, and registration. HUD fair market rents are listed as well. Next create a new account and then list the properties wishing to be rented.

Low-income and moderate-income residents should utilize Social Serve to locate housing in high opportunity areas. Schools should be accredited. The National Center for Education Statistics can provide stats on school districts and show how a school is performing.

 

Planning & Zoning

Local governments should contact all subsidized housing providers and housing authorities in their jurisdictions and urge them to list their properties on the website to further their affirmative fair housing marketing requirements. This action could be taken in partnership with local community action organizations or other social service agencies that serve clients that would be among the primary beneficiaries of this website.

Cities may want to ensure adequate and up to code housing by passing rental licensing programs. Rental licensing programs require city registration and inspection of the for-rent units prior to being placed on the market.

 

Dollars & Cents

Social Serve is a free to use website for landlords and individuals. If in need of a Housing Choice Voucher, please visit the St. Louis Housing Authority. Housing counseling services are available for renters wanting assistance. Visit the OneSTL tool Housing Counseling Center for more ways to prepare residents for housing opportunities.

Social Serve can help landlords save money by reducing the costs for advertisements, landlord search opportunity time, and tenant turn over rates.

Measuring Success

Clients of housing counseling centers may have follow up measures as to how many clients retained housing in a years time. Some type of evaluation for social serve participants can reveal various outcomes. Here are some questions that could tell how well people enjoy their unit matched up by Social Serve.

• Are residents enjoying their housing match?
• How long do the residents stay in the housing option provided by Social Serve?
• What is the turn over rate for residents?
• How many users of Social Serve are moving into higher opportunity areas?
• Are residents physical and mental health conditions improving?
• What are children and teenager educational achievement levels?
• Are residents finding employment?
• Do residents feel safe and secure?

Discover More

Social Serve is a nonprofit. Other local nonprofits and government entities use Social Serve's housing tools. Here are some of those partners.

• The St. Louis Houisng Authority is a federally funded agency, providing low and moderate-income public housing for the City of St. Louis, and through partner programs.
• Housing Authority of St. Louis County helps people find safe and affordable housing.
• Catholic CharitiesMissouri's largest private provider of social services.
• Doorways Housing provides affordable, secure housing and related outreach for people with HIV/AIDS.
• Grace Hill equips the disenfranchised with the necessary tools to stabilize their lives and their families.