Agenda - 11-05-20; 6-c - Emergency Housing Assistance Program Update and Request for Supplemental Funding

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1 Attachment 3 Emergency Housing Assistance Partner & Resident Testimonials Meagan Clawar, Refugee Community Partnership The EHA has been so helpful to our families up until this point because many do not have documentation and are not eligible for other supports; each month EHA has been the difference between getting an eviction notice that month or not. Most have not worked since March and their jobs are not coming back anytime soon. EHA gave families back some sense of minor security each month in a span of over 6 months of insecurity and panic. EHA is a huge lifesaver and we need it to get more funding! Otherwise we will be shifting gears from keeping families in homes to figuring out what to do once families are evicted… and then the County will have an even more serious problem on its hands! Mariela Hernandez, Family Success Alliance Family Navigator I been helping families in the community for a long time and housing assistance was in the pass not so hard if the community member was employed. But saying that we are in not going through a period of time were employment for everyone is really hard to keep end meet. And even harder for the community that are lacking NC government ID or other documents. So when EHA was put in place it was a life changing opportunity for our community. Some of this families have been laid off since March and the also face the sickness of this virus. The EHA program in my cases have kept at least 7 families at the point of being evicted so the capacity of this program keep this families in their home. I have tried sending families to other resources but has for document that some of this community can’t provide. So they are stuck not been able to access anything. The EHA was an essential program for our community and the feeling of relief I hear from this community when I tell them that they have been approved. Their voice is trembling of happiness and always ask me to thank all the people behind this program and blessing to all. Pilar Rocha, El Centro Hispano In these difficult times where our Latinx community has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, it is very important and crucial to have organizations and local governments that are willing to devote services and resources to support. But more important is that they recognize the barriers they have to deliver this support and to recognize their assets in the community to create valued and true partnerships. We feel very honored and thankful for the partnership we have with OCHCD. Together we have made a big difference for our families in the Orange County community. There are many families that have been helped with this program. Many families are dealing with difficulty paying rent and are some months behind. One specific family was threatened to be sent to court if they didn’t pay by certain date that was two days ahead. They contacted us and through this partnership we were able to pay on time and the family avoided going to court and probably be evicted from their home 9