In my area habitat for humanity gets more items donated that they can use use.

Write down the pros / cons with chosen investment, likelihood of success, skills set you have / don't have, etc.

My opinion is because housing is such a basic human need, as you mentioned before ... it is way at the base of Maslow's hierarchy.

How do most of you go about selecting a move-in date for your chosen applicant?

For a few of the multi-familys and a couple commercial projects, I commisioned art murals by very highly professional muralists to do large blank walls both interior (like the middle landing on a switch-back staircase) and exterior... usually trompe l'oeil painted-on windows and architectural features that weren't actually there.It was always wildly well-received and created a bit of a buzz, having articles written with photos in the local paper, and we were chosen to do a special small but high-profile project that was on local cable TV. 

@Thomas Williamson you're a good man for returning all phone calls, but if they aren't from humans I doubt you should feel any obligation to waste your time....

That said, humans are emotional creatures, so it's difficult to remove entirely.The assignor would assign because they believe the value of the property will increase, while the person taking the assignment would bet the opposite.

I do have a belief that by being a good landlord this will make them comfortable and not want to leave.I just like the human feel of things

Social aspects of RE are not limited to low income tenants, far from it.Look too, for the National Association of Housing Officials and Redevelopment (NAHRO).Here are some organizations or other folks that deal in RE within their realm.Office of AgingAssisted LivingAdvocate Organizations for the blind, handicap, children, etc.City P&Z OfficesDept. of Defense, especially the Corps Of EngineersDept. of EducationDept. of Health and Human ServicesEconomic Development identifies blighted areas and funds redevelopment.HUD/USDA have social and economic skills educationHOA organizationsLook to your local United Way, they are often the gatekeepers for funding going to community service organizations and they will know non-profit housing entities that serve an area.Developers base growth from social impact studies, demographics are the social and economic movement of populations.  

The new era of international trade; The new era of a super-productive online world; The new era of RE where prices cannot go down; The human mind is a funny thing!