Using the Flex Pool Model to Streamline the Housing Voucher Process in NYC

Organization Name: Anthos Home

Project Title: Using the Flex Pool Model to Streamline the Housing Voucher Process in NYC

Project Location: citywide

Project Description:
Anthos|Home is modeled on the successful Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool model created by Brilliant Corners in Los Angeles. Anthos|Home blends public and private funding streams into one “pool” used to quickly house individuals and families with vouchers. They work with both voucher holders and landlords, streamlining the housing search for individuals and families while also providing supports to housing providers to reduce the risk and administrative burden of accepting vouchers. Central to the success of the Anthos|Home model, and what sets it apart from other housing navigation approaches in the city, is the establishment of an apartment “bank.” Anthos|Home partners with housing providers to bring units to market and pays to hold them for a limited time so apartments are immediately ready for approved households. The bank allows Anthos|Home to expeditiously match households to appropriate housing, shortening the time to move-in and eliminating competition between voucher holders. Anthos|Home then provides a minimum of one year of aftercare services to both households and housing providers to ensure housing stability and success.

Community Impact:
Anthos is Greek for “blossom” and their goal is to see people rooted in stable housing so that they are able to grow and thrive. Stable housing is an essential precursor to education, employment, health, and other contributors to ending poverty and enabling individuals and families to pursue their goals and aspirations. Anthos|Home’s model reduces the amount of time that individuals and families spend in shelter and cuts short the devastating impact of homelessness and institutionalization on people’s lives. In addition to working to move clients quickly into affordable housing of their choosing, Anthos|Home provides a minimum of a year of aftercare and 24/7 “whatever it takes” support to ensure housing stability. They connect households to a comprehensive range of community services as needed, from healthcare to education, job training, financial counseling, and more to help them reclaim and improve their lives and communities. At the same time, they support housing providers with tenant issues, ensuring rent payments and voucher renewals, paying for small repairs, and ensuring a successful partnership to encourage them to increase the number of units available to rent to voucher holders.

Organization Description:
Anthos|Home was founded by CEO Laura Lazarus and Leslie Abbey, CEO of Hot Bread Kitchen, who had worked together on housing and homelessness issues at Lantern Community Services. In one year, Anthos|Home built an organization from scratch, launching services in June 2023 with a contract from NYC Administration for Children’s Services to assist transition-age foster youth and at-risk families; the organization also accepts referrals of high needs health households directly from nonprofit shelter and healthcare providers.

Team Members:

Key partners include the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, Helmsley Charitable Trust, Robin Hood Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies and NYCT.