How Lotus Works

The biggest barrier to solving homelessness in the U.S. is supply and demand.

Contrary to what many people believe, the biggest cause of homelessness is not individual risk factors like illness, mental health, poverty, and poor decision-making. The biggest barrier to solving homelessness in the U.S. is, in fact, supply and demand.

This is why involving real estate leaders and landlords in the solution is the Lotus gamechanger. By working with real estate developers and landlords, we overcome barriers to existing market-rate housing for people who can’t always meet landlord requirements such as rental histories, background and credit checks and references. Landlords make no financial concessions because Lotus covers landlord risks, and we do it for only $1,200 per sponsored resident.

We deploy philanthropy to:

overcome risks for participating landlords

open doors faster for sponsored residents

amplify social service partners’ impact

Through philanthropy, we open access to market-rate, mixed-income housing without government funds.

1 An individual or family becomes homeless.

2 Seeking help, they contact one of our social service partners.

3 The social service partner determines if they are a good fit for Lotus Campaign.

4 If so, our team finds a potential landlord match within our Landlord Participation Program (LLP).

5 When a landlord match is found, Lotus covers application fees, renter’s insurance, and guarantees against loss of rent. This incentivizes landlords and decreases their risks.

6 The individual or family who needs housing moves into an available unit.

7 The social service partner provides ongoing support to ensure the resources needed to rebuild one’s life and stay housed, which is our ultimate goal — the “Lotus Stability Factor.”

Benefits for participating landlords:

Payment in lieu of security deposit

Expedited inspections

Pre-paid renter’s insurance

Application fee

Guarantee against loss of rent

Guarantee against tenant-caused damages

Support from sponsoring social service organizations

Monthly inspections of the rental unit

Eviction expenses and reimbursement of legal costs

We work in neighborhoods of opportunity.

This is very different than most current affordable housing options and one of the biggest distinctions of the Lotus model. We are opening access to market-rate, mixed-income housing without government funds or support.

Mixed-income neighborhoods close to:

Public transportation

Schools

Major employers

Grocery stores

Current Communities

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte is our flagship city. Here, we saw a significant need and importantly, what we call “community courage,” where people are willing to apply a new lens to age old problems and want to collaborate to make change.

THE TRIANGLE

In 2023, we officially launched our second Landlord Participation Program. Like Charlotte, the Triangle area has both a need and a community of engaged and willing partners. Homelessness in Raleigh alone has increased by 50% since 2020.

How Lotus Works

The biggest barrier to solving homelessness in the U.S. is supply and demand.

We deploy philanthropy to:

Through philanthropy, we open access to market-rate, mixed-income housing without government funds.

Benefits for participating landlords:

We work in neighborhoods of opportunity.

Mixed-income neighborhoods close to:

Current Communities

“Lotus Campaign makes it easy for landlords to say yes to trying something new in a way that makes sense.”

MARK ETHRIDGE

Partner at Ascent Real Estate Capital

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