Dear Members,

 

Amid the ongoing housing crisis, many people are facing the threat of homelessness. To help address this pressing issue, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) are examining the effects of housing insecurity on the storage industry. We have two goals:

 

• Help at-risk customers connect with support.
• Provide storage facility staff with resources to interact with these customers more effectively.

 

Losing housing can start with seemingly small setbacks. Divorce, eviction, and other traumatic experiences can accelerate housing loss. By identifying people who are experiencing housing insecurity and providing them with support and resources, it is possible to prevent homelessness and create more stable communities.

 

Members of the USC team met and spoke with many of you at  AZSA Conference in February. These conversations helped us better understand how this issue is impacting your facilities and communities. Now we need your help. If you are a facility owner, please consider sending this link to your employees so that they can take a brief anonymized online survey about how the housing crisis has affected their jobs and the customers they work with on a day-to-day basis:

 

https://bit.ly/AZStorageProject

 

Sincerely,

The USC Team