What if you could identify a family at risk of homelessness before they lose their home — and intervene early enough to keep them there?
On this episode of On The Fly!, Joan Kaup talks with Kevin Finn, President and CEO of Strategies to End Homelessness in Cincinnati, about a radically different approach to preventing homelessness: using data to identify families at the highest risk of eviction and reaching them before they become homeless.
Kevin shares his journey from working with homeless teenagers to leading a coordinated community effort involving dozens of organizations across Greater Cincinnati. He explains how Cincinnati's unusually comprehensive homelessness data helped make predictive analytics possible, and how a Flywheel innovation lab and housing stability hackathon helped lead to the creation of Tenant Guard, a tool that allows people to identify themselves as being at risk of losing their housing.
The results are striking. Kevin explains why helping a family remain in their apartment can cost about $3,600, compared with an average of $22,500 after a family enters a homeless shelter. while also producing better outcomes.
The conversation also explores the role of 84.51º, the City of Cincinnati's Impact Award, research with Notre Dame, the potential to take Cincinnati's model to other communities, and the policy changes Kevin hopes could shift more resources toward prevention.
Most importantly, Kevin talks about what those numbers mean for real families, especially children who can avoid the disruption of homelessness, including repeatedly changing homes and schools.
Learn more
- Strategies to End Homelessness: strategiestoendhomelessness.org
- Tenant Guard: tenantguard.org
About On The Fly!
On The Fly! is a podcast from Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, coaches, investors, and community leaders working to create meaningful social impact.
On The Fly! is a podcast from Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, coaches, investors, and community leaders working to create meaningful social impact.
At Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, we pair experienced professionals with purpose-driven founders to make a real difference in our communities. Interested in coaching, mentoring, or starting your own social venture? Visit flywheelcincinnati.org to learn how you can get involved.
On The Fly! is produced by Joan Kaup and Joey Scarillo, with support from Gianna DiMona. Music by Ben Hammer. It is recorded at 1819 Innovation Hub, courtesy of the University of Cincinnati.
