Landlord Mitigation Reserve Program

What is the Landlord Mitigation Reserve Program?

Individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder may have difficulty finding and securing safe, decent and affordable housing. To help address this problem, DMHA partnered with the office of Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority to create the Landlord Mitigation Reserve Program.

The goal of this program is to encourage landlords to lease available units within their property to individuals in recovery and with a felony on their record that relates to their SUD.

Please keep in mind that this is not a funding program. If you are in need of funding assistance, please visit https://www.hud.gov/states/indiana/renting.

Who is eligible?

An individual that is in recovery from a SUD who is having difficulty or desires added assurance for securing rental housing is encouraged to apply for the Landlord Mitigation Reserve Program. Those who meet the eligibility requirements will receive a certificate. To find available affordable housing options, program participants are encouraged to use www.indianahousingnow.org.

While the certificate does not negate the eligibility requirements established by each property, IHCDA encourages landlords to accept certificate holders when units are available within their property.

Requirements

• At least one felony on one’s record, with the charge having some relationship to prior SUD.
• No new charges or open warrants for at least one year (12 months).
• At least one year (12 months) of consistent employment within the last year. A gap in employment of up to a month is allowable
• This requirement will be waived for individuals unable to work due to a disability. Documentation may be requested if the disability is not readily apparent. Documentation may include an SSDI/SSI award letter or documentation from a knowledgeable professional stating the individual is unable to work due to a disability.
• This requirement will be waived for individuals 60 years or older.
• Documentation can include W-2s, I-9s, paycheck stubs, or similar evidence of employment.
• At least one year (12 months) of demonstrated treatment and/or recovery
• Maintained good standing with any criminal justice entities including, but not limited to: parole, probation, work release, problem courts and house arrest.
• Documentation of all the above conditions, as well as any necessary Release of Information documents.

Note: Interested candidates can request approval with as little as 6 months’ demonstrated employment and recovery. These requests are decided on a case-by-case basis.

How the program works

While the certificate does not provide rental assistance to the eligible tenant, in the event there are damages or past due rent that relate to the tenant’s SUD, landlords can submit a claim to IHCDA for review for potential reimbursement. In this program, DMHA is acting to ‘vouch for’ recipients of the Landlord Mitigation Reserve Program certificate. DMHA is essentially telling landlords that we believe these certificate recipients are ‘safe bets’ to receive housing leases.

This certificate will be valid for one year, at which time a person must reapply if they are in need of the LMR program again.

How to apply

Individuals in recovery who think they meet these requirements and have an interest in applying, click here to download the application:

• Word
• PDF

Fill out the version of the application you prefer and either email or send via traditional ‘snail mail’ to the addresses below. Make sure that you include ALL documentation requested on the form.

Please return the completed application to:
DMHA C/O Landlord Mitigation Reserve Team
402 W. Washington St., Room W353
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Read more about the Landlord Mitigation Reserve in this press release.
Questions? Please contact lmr@fssa.in.gov.