REVEALED: Inside the Taxpayer-Backed Network Paying Rent for Refugees
The State Department suspended its grant. Separate HHS support kept the landlord-recruitment project operating.
OCT 06, 2026
A federally funded project recruiting landlords to house refugees kept operating after the Trump administration suspended its State Department award—with support from another federal agency.
The project, Refugee Housing Solutions, is run by Church World Service. It recruits property owners and connects them with ReHome, an online platform matching refugees and other newcomers with rentals.
Its own suspension announcement explains how the operation continued: work funded by the State Department stopped, while services supported by the Department of Health and Human Services remained.
One federal funding stream was suspended. Another kept the project running.
The housing arrangements can include substantial financial assurances for landlords. A published case study describes a Philadelphia placement in which a resettlement agency paid the security deposit and first month’s rent, then promised to:
“cover the full rent amount”
if the household could not pay.
That is the model taxpayers are helping support through the landlord-recruitment operation. The source of money behind that particular guarantee is not disclosed.
The Federal Funding That Survived
The State Department suspended its Refugee Housing Solutions award effective January 24, 2025, during Trump’s foreign-aid review.
Church World Service said it stopped all work under that award and canceled associated services. But the same announcement said it was continuing at reduced capacity, providing services through its HHS project.
The HHS support predated the suspension. An October 2023 federal notice announced plans for nearly $2 million to expand the organization’s refugee-housing work. That notice already described funding through multiple federal channels.
The resulting federal spending record lists $1,984,144 committed and $1,798,045.37 paid out for “Enhancing Refugee Housing Solutions.”
Its purpose included expanding housing access for eligible Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees and other populations served by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The funding structure explains why suspending the State Department award did not end federal support for the operation.
Making Refugee Rentals Attractive to Landlords
The recruitment strategy is straightforward: find property owners, connect them with resettlement organizations and address the financial concerns that could prevent a lease.
The RHS–ReHome case study reports that a six-month pilot recruited15 landlords and property managers offering more than 1,000 units. Separately, ReHome reported more than 50 rental matches across a user network spanning 25 states.
The 1,000-unit figure measures availability, not occupied homes.
The Philadelphia example illustrates the financial arrangement. The landlord joined ReHome in July 2024. An agency’s guarantee helped the family qualify for the rental, and the agency covered the upfront costs. The report says the family subsequently paid rent on time.
The appeal to property owners is explicit. On its landlord recruitment page, RHS features a testimonial attributed to Scott Kelly, identified as CONREX Property Management’s chief operating officer, saying the program:
“protects the interests of our owners and investors.”
The same page invites landlords to list properties with ReHome and connect with local resettlement agencies.
Federal support helps sustain the organization making that business pitch.
Taxpayer-Funded Research Into Landlord Incentives
Before the suspension, the project also used State Department support to study what would persuade more landlords to participate.
Its landlord incentive survey, published in December 2024, asked housing providers to evaluate:
“Lease renewal bonus up to $500”
and:
“Prepaid Rent Insurance for the lease term”
Other options included advance rent, larger security deposits and rent-guarantee funds. These were proposals being researched; the report does not show that the bonuses were paid.
The survey drew 115 responses across 21 states. Among respondents, 83.5 percent said agency rent assistance, guarantees or other financial support could satisfy their ability-to-pay and credit requirements.
The project was studying how outside financial backing could help refugee applicants secure rentals.
And the landlord partnership continued after the suspension. A March 25, 2026 update describes RHS and ReHome meeting with Lancaster-area landlords in December 2025 to strengthen their housing partnerships.
https://nataliegwinters.substack.com/p/revealed-inside-the-taxpayer-backed