photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

The Douglas County Human Services Building, 2518 Ridge Court, is pictured Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.

A work group with LiveWell Douglas County, in partnership with a Lawrence tenants rights organization, is seeking feedback about renters’ experiences that will be used to inform local leaders when they make policy decisions.

LiveWell Douglas County’s Sexual Violence Prevention work group and Lawrence Tenants have collaborated to craft a tenant experience survey that includes questions about demographics and social identities, housing basics, finding housing, ending a lease, housing conditions and maintenance, safety and community. The groups are looking for responses from folks who are currently renting, have rented in the last two years or are seeking rental housing now. It’s unclear how long the survey will remain open for responses.

According to Douglas County’s Housing Stabilization Collaborative, which is hosting a link to the survey on its website, renters make up more than half of Douglas County’s population and are significantly more likely to experience housing instability and displacement. The survey aims to collect data on renter experiences that often is “overlooked” or not collected at all.

The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete, and all responses are voluntary and confidential.