For businesses, housing can be one of the biggest barriers to recruiting employees, and for many employees, the lack of affordable housing is a barrier to getting and keeping a job. Here are a few ways that employers have helped with employee housing:

Tips:

  • In hotels and inns, employers have offered temporary housing in unrented space to help employees who are new to the area or who lose their housing due to temporary situations.
  • Some businesses with seasonal employees have built employee housing, with rent included in the compensation package, and others have purchased a house to rent to seasonal employees.
  • You could also work together with other employers in your region to address housing issues, perhaps in public/private partnerships.
  • Also, locating your business near affordable housing can help open jobs to those with no means of personal transportation.
  • Paying higher wages helps employees afford housing in your region.
  • You might consider paying security deposits or first and last months of rent for employees needing to rent housing, with a monthly payback via their paychecks.

 

Also see the Financial Support section.