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Landlord Summit Reaches Out To Improve Quality Of Affordable Housing

Thursday's Landlord Summit at the John T. O'Connor Center was a collaborative effort of several community partners to reach out to Knoxville's landlords.

Knoxville - Knox County Community Action Committee(CAC), Knoxville - Knox County Homeless Coalition, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, CAC Housing & Energy Services, Volunteers of America, Knoxville's Community Development Corporation (KCDC), the Tennessee Human Rights Corporation, and the City of Knoxville's Offices on Sustainability and Homelessness provided informational booths, resources and led workshops for local landlords, property owners and tenants.

"I thought the landlord summit went really well. This was our first try at this, so we weren’t entirely sure how it would go," said Mike Dunthorn, City Community Development Project Manager. "The team that planned and put it together did a great job, and the presenters were well prepared with good information. As it turned out, the event was very well attended, and we’ve already received a number of unsolicited positive comments from landlords who were there. I knew it was a good sign when we took a short break mid-morning, and nearly everyone stayed for the second half."
Landlord Summit

One of the resources detailed was the Knoxville Extreme Energy makeover (KEEM) program, which offers free weatherization upgrades for rental properties. Other topics included free lead testing programs; Section 8 rent assistance; programs to assist military veterans with housing; Tennessee landlord-tenant rules; and fair housing laws.

"I’m glad we had this opportunity to provide some of Knoxville’s landlords with information and resources that can help them build their bottom line while at the same time improving and increasing the availability of affordable housing options in this community. Once we’ve had a chance to more fully review the event, we’ll look to the future for more opportunities like this for positive engagement with Knoxville’s landlords," said Dunthorn

For more information click here or visit http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/community_development

Posted by On 19 November, 2015 at 5:00 PM