Many grantees have noted that continuous improvement and nimble outreach strategies have been critical to program implementation. Sensitivity to the challenges faced by the locality’s ERA applicants can allow grantees to pivot to more effective strategies.
Examples
City of Phoenix, AZ
The City of Phoenix, AZ noted that incorporating experienced local community action representatives into the oversight of the application process has been critical to raising application completion rates. Program administrators commented that these representatives are sensitive to the challenges of the local populations and have allowed the program to better problem solve application challenges and improve training of line staff.
Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson, NV
Recognizing that residents may not realize that various rental assistance programs offered through other funding streams have different eligibility requirements, the CHAP program launched a “re-education” campaign on social media. This effort is designed to reach potential applicants who may have been discouraged from seeking help due to past experiences of ineligibility for other similar-sounding programs.