As a rental referral service, the Columbia Housing Center helps landlords find tenants and tenants find homes, while promoting racial integration. Thousands of moves into and within Columbia occur every year and each one of these moves can result in either integration or segregation. With the housing center model, based on the work of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, the resultant move can promote community integration and inclusion.
How Does It Work?
Housing Center staff provide the apartment seeker with guidance and customized listings. All areas of Columbia are considered and pursued.
- Property owners/managers list the available units with the housing center and the housing center compiles a database of information about the apartments’ rent, bedrooms and amenities.
- Apartment seekers define their needs and get a tailored set of listings to simplify their search.
- Housing center staff engages the apartment seeker about the center’s mission of promoting racial integration and lets clients know that the center encourages home seekers to consider all parts of Columbia.
A Typical Housing Search
A Search by a Housing Center Client
Benefits of the Housing Center Locator Services
- Reinforcing our core Columbia value as a uniquely integrated community; further integrating our schools; and enhancing business and social networks for residents.
- Fostering a greater sense of community pride, civic participation, and harmony and providing Columbia with a unique and desirable brand that reinforces property values.
- Intentionally sustaining the integration of our diverse community is an investment that will provide many social and economic benefits for Columbia.
Benefits of Housing Integration
- Diverse schools
- Higher property values
- Greater understanding across racial and ethnic groups
- Stable, vibrant and inclusive communities