When I was 19, my mother put in her 30-day notice at the apartment we lived in and said I couldn't move with her. So I kept the apartment and got two roommates. Neither one did anything financially to help and I didn't have a job. So I got evicted for non-payment of rent. Then I heard about Ready to Rent from a friend. She said it could help my rental credit. I learned a lot of things including resources I never knew were available. I learned to be dedicated and determined to help myself.
Opening the doors to housing through education since 1999
In 1998, the Portland Housing Center began working on a tenant readiness eduction curriculum for renters facing difficulties finding housing. After two years of creating the "right" model, Ready to Rent was launched in 1999. It is a six-week class offered by licensed agencies and taught by certified instructors.
The curriculum is designed help people with rental barriers access housing but also helps ALL renters learn their rights and responsibilities as a tenant. Today, Ready to Rent LLC is a stand alone company with over 70,000 graduates throughout the United States and Canada. Using the empowering information and skills building materials, several thousand graduates have successfully found rental housing. The curriculum was created with the help of landlords, social service agencies and committed volunteers.
Ready to Rent is taught by:
- Housing Authorities and other HUD funded agencies
- Drug and alcohol treatment programs
- Mental health organizations
- Correctional facilities
- City, county and state agencies
- Mutual Housing Associations
- NeighborWorks America agencies
- Youth organizations
- Homeless shelters
- The Salvation Army
- Veterans programs
- and other organizations in the United States and Canada
Meet The Owner....Raina Evans
Raina Evans opens doors to housing through education. Her passion for community service began early in life and has grown into more than 40 years of experience serving communities across North America. With a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from Portland State University, Raina has worn many hats—talk show host, educator, program manager, public relations professional, motivational speaker, and social entrepreneur (her personal favorite).
In 2003, Raina was hired by the Portland Housing Center to manage the Ready To Rent program in the Portland community. By 2007, she became the administrator and distributor, expanding access across the United States and Canada. In 2013, she was given ownership of the copyright and founded Ready To Rent LLC, transforming the curriculum into a nationally recognized tenant-readiness and eviction-prevention program. Today, she has licensed more than 300 organizations to deliver the program and trained over 700 instructors nationwide.
At Ready To Rent, we believe everyone deserves safe, affordable, and stable housing—and our work provides a key solution to the housing crisis in the United States. - Raina Evans
