Volunteer Kim Convertino works the phones for our Stable Home program.
Our Stable Home rental assistance and eviction prevention program is continuing to evolve in 2020. In 2019, our program had a huge spike in the number of households we assisted with rental assistance funds. The first two months of 2020 were moving along at a fairly similar pace as the year before, but the COVID-19 shutdown and the accompanying eviction moratorium drastically lowered the number of people who were seeking immediate assistance. The requests that were coming in were usually for higher dollar amounts, which we’ve been mostly able to accomodate and stay within our budget due to the lower number of requests.
“We have bumped our average assistance from around $500 to $1000 in order to meet the demand,” Program Services Manager Greg McLeod said. “We have been requested additional funding from the Eastside cities we serve and from King County to meet the need and have received some assistance from them so far.”
Governor Jay Inslee recently extended the statewide eviction moratorium to October 15, and barring a further extension or federal government bailout on leases and mortgages, we anticipate a massive crisis of people facing eviction in the fall and winter.
In the meantime, our staff has become an extremely strong resource referral guide for those seeking assistance other than rent during these difficult times.
“People are out of work and waiting on unemployment,” Greg said. “They have missed work either due to shutdowns or illness, and children have been at home more and will continue to be at home more now that most school is virtual which effects the ability to work,” Greg said.
Thanks to our staff, the guidance of our Board of Directors, and the incredible support of our donors, our Stable Home program stands as ready as it can be for whatever the rest of 2020 holds!