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OneRoof describes Tenant-Landlord Connectionprogram that has helped thousands, prevents evictions
Summary
OneRoof Community Housing told Duluth—s City Council that its Tenant-Landlord Connection has served about 6,100 clients since 2015, prevented 265 evictions and stabilized roughly 1,500 tenants, and the group described referral, mediation and educational services funded by local governments.
Jeff Corey, executive director of OneRoof Community Housing, and Terry Carlson, tenant-landlord program staff, briefed the Duluth City Council on the Tenant-Landlord Connection program and described services, outcomes and funding.
The Tenant-Landlord Connection provides tenant and landlord education, one-on-one troubleshooting and mediation. Corey said the program was re-established in 2015 with funding commitments from the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Duluth, St. Louis County and the city of Duluth, and that OneRoof operates the program to centralize referrals and services.
Corey told the council that since February 2015 the program has served about 6,100 clients, most of whom were tenants; staff reported 265 evictions prevented and approximately 1,500 tenant-stabilization outcomes. The typical client is low-income, Corey said: in recent data roughly 76% earned under $20,000 and 91% under $30,000. Staff also said about 39% of clients were households of color, and about 28% included children or a declared disability.
Corey and Carlson described three core services: ready-to-rent and landlord workshops (education), troubleshooting and referrals (information and connections to legal aid and other resources), and mediation to resolve disputes and avoid court. Mediation is neutral and voluntary; OneRoof staff said it preserves options that are not available in court and can produce more flexible, negotiated outcomes.
Councilors asked how quickly OneRoof responds and whether staff can handle higher volumes. Corey said the program typically responds to inquiries the same day or next day and noted the core team is presently about 1.5 full-time equivalent staff (one full-time lead plus additional part-time support). He said the program currently handles its normal volume but would need more resources if community demand rose substantially.
Councilors and staff discussed referral pathways: some tenants go to OneRoof because they do not know about life-safety or legal-aid resources; others are referred by life-safety inspectors. Corey said the Tenant-Landlord Connection often serves people new to OneRoof work and that the program—s preventative work (mediation and information) can be hard to quantify but, by OneRoof—s count, has prevented evictions and stabilized tenants.
Corey said OneRoof is open to further collaboration and to sharing materials with the city; he told council staff he would email the presentation and follow up with an annual report and statistics. Councilors thanked OneRoof staff for the program and asked whether the organization has engaged the Duluth Tenants Union; Corey said OneRoof had met with tenant-union representatives in recent months and hoped to coordinate on referrals.
Ending: OneRoof described a small, locally funded program that the presenters said has had measurable eviction-prevention outcomes. Staff asked councilors to consider the program—s reach and whether additional outreach or capacity would be needed if community demand grows.
