THE SITUATIONS OF THE PEOPLE WE HOUSE
People ask us how we find the people who need housing, the circumstances that have them experience homelessness and our requirements for helping them move into a home.
Our applicants come from referrals from churches and other social service agencies as well as from our own programs whereby we provide cold weather assistance and other resources. Also, some of us on our Board are volunteers for churches and agencies that serve the unhoused, so we meet potential tenants on a regular basis. Further, our website is a source of referrals.
“A Home” is in a special situation because we do not receive government funding from HUD so this allows us to house people much more quickly than the agencies that do receive those funds. Apartments will not wait for all the requirements that agencies must meet and people lose the housing they’ve finally found.
At this point, we are only able to house people who have a regular income so they can pay the ongoing bills after we pay the start-up costs. The incomes of the people we house are usually either from a small pension or from supplemental social security of about $830.00, (which is usually from a disability) or from low paid work.
Some people have been without housing for a long time while others have lost their housing more recently. The reasons for their homelessness are the following: the landlord sold the house, the rent became too high, a family member lost a job, a parent/grandparent who was paying for a home died, a sudden disability, problems and safety concerns with other family members or roommates.
Domestic violence, also, drives people into homelessness.
Some of these people stay in hotels as long as their money lasts. Others couch surf with family and friends or move in with friends or family members but this can be precarious.
To ascertain whether we can assist people, we do an intensive assessment to be sure they can sustain their income. For people we place into shared housing, we want to be as sure as we can, that they can get along with other people.