Affordable Housing Peer Career Navigation

Low-income individuals, especially in marginalized communities, often find themselves stuck in a cycle of poverty as they commonly lack career navigation support. Many face significant barriers to securing stable, well-paying jobs due to limited education, limited funds to invest in personal enrichment opportunities, difficulty identifying where to start, and more. These issues are compounded by systemic inequities that have contributed to unequal access to resources.

In Northern Virginia—a region the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia reported in 2021 as having the highest cost burden in the county for low-income families—thousands struggle to advance in their careers while making ends meet. As of recent American Community Survey data, only 9% of the population in Northern Virginia lives below the federal poverty line; thus, low-income communities face disproportionate challenges in the area competing in the job market. Peer navigators—individuals with lived experience in overcoming similar challenges—can play a key role in addressing this problem. They provide relatable, empathetic, and culturally/linguistically appropriate support, guiding job seekers through complex resources. By sharing their own experiences and working in collaboration with Wesley Housing’s Employment Specialists, peer navigators will help build trust and results securing gainful employment. 

Wesley Housing’s solution is a Peer Navigator (PN) program designed to support low-income individuals who live in our targeted affordable housing communities. The program will improve accessibility to employment support and increase positive career outcomes for participants. Leveraging lived experience, PNs will earn stipends to perform outreach and connect with residents to establish meaningful, trusted relationships and distribute staff-developed resources. PNs will conduct informal employment coaching sessions with peers and may discuss topics such as career goals and barriers (e.g., lack of childcare, transportation, or skills); resume building and interview preparation; local job markets; accessing upskilling or reskilling programs (computer literacy, language skills); navigating American workplace systems; financial literacy; and mental health challenges. The program will use the technology available at Wesley’s Community Resource Centers (computers, Wi-Fi), where sessions are held.

In these sessions, PNs will troubleshoot problems and establish personalized action plans, as well as serve as a referral system, connecting those in crises or in need of intensive support to Employment Specialists (ESs). PNs will also assist ESs in conducting workshops and training sessions, offering relatable insights and cultural context.

This innovative approach empowers residents on both sides to share/build skills, gain confidence, and reduce barriers to employment.

This solution will serve the 1,500 low-income residents living in six of Wesley Housing’s affordable housing communities in Alexandria, VA; Fairfax, VA; Arlington, VA; and Washington, DC (Strawbridge Square, The Arden, The Waypoint, The Cadence, The Hampshire, Wexford Manor). Across these communities, the average household earns <$37,000/year, approximately a third of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2024 regional Median Family Income. For our residents who earn ~$12-$20/hr., market-rate rentals, let alone home ownership, are out of reach. Most live paycheck to paycheck and report low education levels, attained skills, and experience as barriers to self-sufficiency. 

Further, current residents are 89% Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC), compared to 53% in the region at large, demonstrating the unequal need for affordable housing. Many have limited English proficiency, which impedes resource navigation and career advancement. Language barriers and other factors also contribute to residents’ reluctance in reaching out to Wesley staff for support (despite the availability of bilingual staff and interpreters). 

Our solution will meet this population’s needs by connecting them to culturally and linguistically reflective peer navigators who have relatable lived experiences, which will open accessibility and ease anxiety in the career navigation process.

Implementing proximate leaders in the community is the core of this proposed solution. Peer Navigators (PNs) will serve as proximate leaders, or people whose identities, experiences, or communities are reflective of the systemically stereotyped, feared, dismissed, or marginalized communities they are serving. Our PNs are proximate to the communities and issues they serve as they have the experience, relationships, and knowledge that are essential for building trusted relationships and increasing engagement in beneficial programs. Importantly, as proximate leaders, PNs also have the ability to recognize and leverage assets within communities that are often overlooked or misunderstood when viewed through a dominant culture lens. 

Wesley Housing’s Vice President of Resident Services identifies as a BIPOC female and will co-design the program’s structure along with two Regional Community Services Managers and our resident population. This program is an expansion of our Resident Ambassador (RA) program, in which currently eight RAs liaise between residents and staff, relaying community feedback, needs, and interests that some individuals may not be comfortable sharing directly with staff. Through the RA program, annual third-party community surveys conducted by SatisFacts, and resident interviews/focus groups, Wesley Housing became aware of the need for PNs and thus will implement a program highly informed by the communities it is intending to reach. 

All residents will be offered the opportunity to become a Peer Navigator and will be selected based on staff assessments, which may include criteria such as lived experiences, empathy, and length of commitment.

This program is in the prototype stage. Our current Resident Ambassador (RA) program, as detailed above, was first implemented in 2023. This solution is an extension of the RA program. RAs may become Peer Navigators (as well as newly recruited residents), but none have implemented peer career navigation to date.

https://wesleyhousing.org/

This program offers an innovative approach to providing employment support to low-income and culturally diverse communities by utilizing trusted community members to guide and support residents in their career journeys. In some cultures, there is a historical mistrust or fear of engaging with authority figures due to past negative experiences. This fear can be heightened by cultural norms that emphasize self-reliance or a reluctance to seek help outside the community. By utilizing peers who are in the same cultures and socio-economic context as a staff liaison, these barriers to support are significantly reduced. 

What distinguishes Wesley Housing’s approach is its comprehensive model, in which all employment support elements can be found on our housing campuses. Peer Navigators and Employment Specialists provide support in the targeted communities’ Community Resource Centers, which are co-located with each property. This eliminates typical barriers to access, such as transportation and time restraints. Beyond this one-on-one support, we offer free job skills trainings and certifications at these Centers. Classes are hosted by staff, Peer Navigators, as well as third parties with expertise in various fields. For example, World English Tutor provides English Language classes and Computer CORE provides IT/digital literacy skills. 

This model could catalyze broader positive impacts by inspiring Wesley Housing’s peers in the affordable housing space to implement similar approaches. We will broadly share the program (and Truist’s support) in our communications and on social media. Further, by proving the value of peer-led career navigation, it could influence policymakers, employers, and service providers to adopt more inclusive, community-driven workforce strategies. The shift in the market could be profound, moving toward more localized, human-centered services that prioritize trust, accessibility, and long-term support. 

Wesley Housing’s impact goals for the program are: 

1. At least six Peer Navigators in six communities will connect with 60 residents in a one-year grant term to discuss employment goals and identify barriers. Measure: Peer Navigators will be tasked with keeping a log of their meetings with residents. Each week, they will share these with their assigned Employment Specialist, who will log the meetings in Wesley’s social services tracking and evaluation system, Apricot. Apricot will be able to produce reports for a specific period that include the number of residents who met with a Peer Navigator or Employment Specialist. 

2. Peer Navigators will help 60 residents develop personalized employment action plans in a one-year grant term. Measure: Peer Navigators will be tasked with keeping a copy of action plans created with residents. Each week, they will share these with their assigned Employment Specialist, who will log the action plans in Apricot. Apricot will be able to produce reports for a specific period that include the number of residents who created an action plan with a Peer Navigator. 

3. Peer Navigators will co-facilitate at least six career development workshops with Employment Specialists in a one-year grant term. Measure: Employment Specialists log all events, including career development workshops, in Apricot. Details stored in Apricot that can be reported on include date of event, attendance, and specific residents who attended.

Full-time staff - 9
Part-time staff - 0
Peer Navigators - 6

Over 1 year

Our Peer Navigator program is committed to upholding the same diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles of Wesley Housing, at large. Wesley Housing is Black- and woman-led nonprofit organization with 88% female and 50% BIPOC members on its leadership team. We are proud to have a 75% BIPOC staff base that is reflective of the 89% BIPOC residents we serve. 

Similarly, we aim for Peer Navigators to be reflective of their communities’ cultures and lived experiences and will select them following Wesley Housing’s standard hiring practices, which do not discriminate based on any protected clause. 

We minimize barriers to opportunity for staff by offering flexible work arrangements, competitive compensation, and regular professional development opportunities. We actively recruit from within the communities we serve, creating pathways for residents to take leadership roles (e.g., Peer Navigators, Resident Ambassadors) and fostering a culture of internal advancement. This approach not only provides career growth for staff but also strengthens community ties. 

To enhance inclusivity, all staff are trained in fair housing and DEI upon onboarding and annually thereafter. We hold educational and recreational bonding opportunities throughout the year, including “lunch and learn” sessions, seasonal staff potlucks, holiday parties, and more. Further, we promote understanding and engagement with the communities we serve by inviting all staff to volunteer in our Resident Services programming, attend resident-focused celebrations, and more.

The Peer Navigator program operates on a sustainable, impact-driven business model that provides value through personalized career development services. Our “key customers” are the low-income adult residents living in the stated affordable housing communities who are seeking stable employment, skill development, or career advancement. The beneficiaries are community members who engage with our Peer Navigators and Employment Specialists who gain access to a support system that can help them navigate career pathways, job readiness programs, and local employment opportunities.

These services—tailored mentorship, resume building, interview coaching, job placement assistance, and access to educational resources—are delivered by Peer Navigators, who are trusted members of the community with lived experience navigating similar challenges. By leveraging their knowledge and relationships within the community, we provide a service that is both accessible and culturally relevant.

Residents need these services because they often are hesitant to engage with authority figures (e.g., Wesley Housing staff) due to cultural norms, language barriers, or personal reasons. Yet without the support, our income-restricted residents face barriers to costly educational resources, mentoring, and gaining access to local job networks. By offering peer-led support, we address these barriers in a way that feels authentic and supportive. 

Peer Navigators may provide a cost-savings to the organization in terms of increased revenue (e.g., residents who are gainfully employed can make timely rent payments) and increased program engagement/outcomes (e.g., funders will be more likely to support a program that yields high results). 

The majority of Wesley Housing’s work (89%) is funded by fees derived from our real estate development and property management work. With the recent and ongoing expansion of our real estate and subsequent property management portfolio (including an addition of 700+ new housing units in the next four years), this income will correspondingly increase. At the same time, a gap in our budget remains. The remaining 11% (often $1-2M) is anticipated to be funded annually by 30% government and 70% non-government sources (foundations, corporations, individuals). Wesley works year-round to fill this gap by soliciting new funding prospects, including new business partners/vendors such as architects and general contractors, and through outreach to new and long-time supporters. In addition, we launched a Planned Giving program in 2021 with one of three investment funds designated for the long-term sustainability of resident services. 

Wesley Housing has sustained and grown its programming for 50 years through these methods. In 2024 alone, we secured the TD Charitable Foundation’s “Housing for Everyone” $175,000 award for the second time, in support of our housing stability wraparound services; over $235,000 from longtime funder Fairfax County, VA in support of our housing stability, adult, older adult, and youth programming in the county; and over $89,000 from the Alexandria Fund for Human Services in support of the same in Alexandria City, VA.

The Truist Foundation, and formerly as the SunTrust Foundation, has been an invaluable supporter of Wesley Housing’s mission for over 20 years. We are applying to the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards to continue building on the impact we have already made together by implementing a new program that will further our organizations’ joint missions of building career pathways to economic mobility. 

Should we be fortunate enough to become a semi-finalist, we look forward to benefitting from consultants, subject matter experts, resources, and workshops on industry best practices to catalyze our program. Further, should we become a finalist, the provided comprehensive needs assessment and monthly check-ins for ongoing support will be invaluable to our organization that has limited funding/staffing to conduct such an assessment independently. The peer-to-peer network is of particular interest. Along with our staff, we hope that our Peer Navigators could participate as a professional development opportunity, allowing them to engage in dedicated supportive, educational spaces throughout the duration of the program. This network may also open new opportunities for us to connect with local groups that could support this or other Wesley programs. 

Finally, the exposure through the Challenge would amplify Wesley Housing’s visibility, attracting more stakeholders and potential funders. As such, this partnership would be pivotal in helping us overcome resource limitations and increase the reach of our programming.