We are about to hit the 2-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. For many of us, there has begun to be a semblance of normalcy returning to our daily lives.
While these are uplifting moments, many in our community are still balancing on a wire, walking a tightrope between making rent and being evicted.
Erin Vaughn, the SSC interim director, wanted to share what one of our clients is going through:
With the surge in COVID cases with Omicron, clients have been hit suddenly once more with quarantines, closed care centers, and layoffs. Most employers have utilized all funds available to cover payroll, and there is currently no stimulus to help those facing sudden challenges. One of our clients had tested positive for COVID in early January, which meant a 5-10 day quarantine according to her employer's policy. Her children also ended up catching it, prolonging her time away from work. By the time she was able to return, she had been out of work for nearly 4 weeks, unpaid. She had used all of her sick time and PTO with prior closures and exposures, and had no time left. Her savings had been exhausted, and she didn't know what she was going to do in order to pay her rent and her other bills. This client had done her due diligence, seeking every agency in the area for assistance and was looking at 1-2 month waiting periods to even get an appointment, with no guarantee of eligibility. This client was eligible for our program, and we had appointment times within 24 hours that she could have been seen, yet we had to deny her due to lack of funds.
By the beginning of January in 2021, we had 28 financial assistance requests, 9 of which we were able to help with. This year, we had 60 requests in January, with the ability to assist 7 of those. As you can see, the requests have doubled the number of last year. To us, this is the beginning of a very long and hard year for many in this community. Every person that walks through our doors deserves support and shouldn’t have to choose between paying rent or feeding their family. By supporting MCUM’s 2022 Mid-Winter Campaign, you can ensure they don’t have to face that choice.
Click the button below and give today! Be sure to add Rent and Utility Fund in the memo section.
