For millions of renters living paycheck to paycheck, one unexpected expense, a car repair, fewer hours at work, or a medical bill, is all it takes to fall behind on rent. When the financial shock happens, the risk of eviction rises fast. Eviction hurts everyone: renters, property owners, families, and communities. Prevention requires speed, trust, and coordination.
That’s why we partnered with Hope+Door, a nonprofit committed to keeping families housed before an eviction is filed. Their mission and eligibility model are designed specifically to reach the vulnerable households, especially working parents with children under 18 facing a short-term financial shock. Each year, their team distributes hundreds of rent grants to families living across the United States through partnerships with fellow nonprofit organizations and property managers. Flex’s platform processes billions in rental payments each month, and is uniquely positioned between the renter and the landlord. Together with Hope+Door, we saw potential to leverage this technology to keep families housed.
How We Worked Together
For this pilot, we combined Hope+Door’s research-backed eligibility criteria with Flex’s technology and payment infrastructure. Flex identified families showing early signs of financial strain and referred eligible households to Hope+Door. Further, the Flex platform eliminated the need for time-consuming landlord coordination, saving time and energy for applicants and Hope+Door staff.
The Hope+Door team reviewed and approved applications within 48 hours. Once a rent grant was approved, Flex delivered funds directly to landlords within hours, avoiding mailing delays, late fees, and compounding stress for families. We iterated on the workflow each month to be simple and coordinated: Hope+Door remained the trusted, renter-facing operator, while Flex powered the backend verification and grant distribution.
What Happened: Faster Relief, More Families Helped
In just three months, the pilot delivered $140,000 in emergency rental assistance to 75 families—more than doubling Hope+Door’s typical grant volume. Flex’s infrastructure slashed processing times, and dramatically increased reach and efficiency:
- Increase in monthly applications (20 → 102)
- Increase in grants distributed each month (4 → 25)
- Decrease time to process applications and distribute funds (10 days → 72 hours)
This is what tech-enabled philanthropy looks like in practice: more families supported, in less time, with the same mission-driven care.
“My experience was a lifesaver. I wasn’t sure how I would pay my rent on time after my car broke down and I stopped receiving child support. I was barely making ends meet for months. The grant allowed me to redirect funds and sleep easier knowing that we would not be homeless. I cannot tell you how appreciative I am.”
Reaching families most at risk of eviction
- 1 in 3 grants went to a single Black mother raising children
- 7 in 10 recipients were women, most caring for one or two children
- Two-thirds earned $20,000–$60,000/year, representing severely cost burdened families paying rent that is >50% of their monthly income
- 8 in 10 were working full- or part-time when they fell behind on rent
- Half were facing a job or income disruption, and another quarter a medical emergency
These are families who appear stable on paper but are one unpredictable financial shock away from crisis. The pilot didn’t just distribute funds quickly, but targeted assistance where it would have the greatest impact upstream.
"This collaboration between Hope+Door and Flex proves that when the right tools meet the right heart, we can scale our impact across the country without losing the personal touch that is so essential to our work."
Looking Ahead
We will scale this partnership with Hope+Door in 2026, while expanding our work with other nonprofits, property managers, and community partners. Together, we aim to:
- Power faster, more efficient rental assistance programs
- Reduce the administrative burden on nonprofits and renters facing eviction
- Measure long-term housing stability
- Decrease the strain on downstream funding for homelessness prevention
We believe eviction prevention should be simple, fast, and rooted in dignity, which is why Flex is proud to partner with Hope+Door. Partnerships like this one show what’s possible when technology supports, not replaces, the human relationships at the heart of housing stability.
To learn more and support the work of Hope+Door, visit their website.
If you have any questions about this partnership, we’d love to hear from you: [email protected].
Sources:
1 Eviction Lab. Who Is Evicted in America? Princeton University. evictionlab.org
