Equifax Inc.
06/23/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/23/2021 11:22
Creating housing security for at-risk renters in St. Louis
This is an excerpt from the Construction Forum article, 'Stabilizing Housing Access - Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC,' published on June 17, 2021. To read the original article, click here.
New efforts to create sustainable housing security in St. Louis are helping landlords find suitable tenants while enhancing the financial stability and circumstances of renters. The new model, spearheaded by Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corp. (TGNCDC), comes at a time when housing stability is under enormous stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic's economic ramifications.
ARCH by HomeScreen, an acronym for At-risk Renters' Connection to Housing, extends HomeScreen's use to area social service nonprofits working with clients who are most at risk of homelessness. It was launched in the first quarter of 2021. It builds on the HomeScreen data-driven tenant screening software that TGNCDC launched in March 2019 for landlords and property managers.
Enhancements to HomeScreen have been funded since 2017 with grants from the Equifax Foundation. Equifax also developed an Insight Score for rental applicants with slim to no credit and extended its use to HomeScreen, making it one of only a few screening agencies nationally with Insight Score access.
'We have supported these efforts because they align with our aim of helping financially challenged consumers obtain and sustain housing on a long-term basis,' said Equifax Foundation President David Stiffler. 'There is a great need throughout the nation's communities for the expanded HomeScreen solution developed through the leadership of Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC. We are delighted to apply our philanthropy and our core business products to drive positive community outcomes.'
To read the full article, click here.