Challenge

More people than ever are at risk of losing stable housing. Self-storage facilities, where many people store belongings while facing life disruptions that could result in homelessness, are uniquely positioned to help, serving as critical intervention points for people trying to preserve their belongings during difficult times.

Connecting customers to resources such as financial, housing or legal assistance at these facilities creates a unique opportunity to support large numbers of at-risk residents. Self-storage employees, who are often among the first to witness these struggles, can also benefit from having resource materials that direct customers to support services.

Potential Solution

To design research-based solutions that work for customers, facilities and staff, PX is partnering with the Arizona Self-Storage Association, Action Nexus on Housing and Homelessness at Arizona State University (ASU), and researchers at USC’s schools of social work, public policy and engineering.

A recent pilot in Greater Phoenix equipped 10 self-storage facilities with resources that could be seamlessly integrated. These resources included flyers and postcards with QR codes directing people in need to local organizations recommended by ASU. Forty-three percent of employees felt more confident assisting customers facing issues like homelessness, and 86% provided outreach materials either weekly or monthly.

Currently, the team is developing connections with industry partners and service providers in California to test a larger-scale intervention in both states soon.

Impact

Given the scale, reach and interconnectedness of the self-storage industry, a nationwide expansion of PX’s approach could provide significant support in cities struggling to address their homelessness challenges.