RentSmart aims to reduce homelessness
As often as not, an eviction could be prevented with a little knowledge and a conversation.
It’s simple to consider, but not as easy to actually do, said Bob Barkman, an intensive care facilitator at Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold and the head trainer of a new program aimed at tackling homelessness in Ontario by preventing evictions.
“In almost every case I have seen, communication has been a problem,” said Barkman, who is part of a team launching the Ontario version of an educational program called RentSmart. “Tenants don’t know their rights. They don’t know their responsibilities, and that causes problems.” RentSmart — funded with more than $400,000 from Ontario Trillium Foundation and the federal government — aims to help people become better tenants and, as a result, reduce the number of people who lose their homes.
Sherry Madden, the provincial co-ordinator for the program, said RentSmart started in British Columbia and became a vital part of combating homelessness there.
“Renting and being a good tenant isn’t something you know naturally. It’s a learned skill,” she said.
RentSmart, which will launch in Niagara in January, provides a 12-hour course that teaches tenants about their rights, being a good neighbour, their responsibilities and the rights of landlords, as well as life skills such as financial planning.
People who complete the course receive a certificate, which in British Columbia is recognized by the provincial housing board and accepted by landlords as a sign someone will be a good tenant, Madden said.
She said many landlords require three references from a potential tenant before signing a lease. For many people — particularly those in low-income brackets, those released from prison, women escaping violence or newcomers to Canada — finding references and having a good credit report is not easy.
In B.C. a RentSmart certificate counts as two references and helps secure housing for people without the best credit score.
“Landlords say they haven’t had to evict someone with a RentSmart certificate because they are good tenants,” Madden said.
Ontario does not have a provincial housing body like B.C.’s, Madden said, so the program will be working with the government and landlords to have the program recognized.
When the program is up and running, anyone can take it. However, Barkman and Madden said RentSmart is aimed at those people who have trouble securing a rental home. The program will be accessible through more than a dozen Niagara agencies whose staff are being trained to offer the RentSmart program, including YWCA, Gillian’s Place, Niagara Regional Native Centre and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Barkman said curriculum for RentSmart is being modified to conform to Ontario housing regulations and laws and staff from partner agencies will be trained at the end of November.
The online course is expected to launch in January, Barkman said, although an exact date has yet to be set.
More information on RentSmart can be found at www.readytorentbc.org, although Ontario curriculum is not yet accessible. glafleche@postmedia.com twitter.com/grantrants