Covid Recovery, Relocation and Resilience for a Multi-generational Family of 5.
Mr. J, a Northeast Philly resident, had COVID in fall 2021 along with his wife, father, and two sons. As a result, he missed a month of work and was unable to pay rent. His landlord immediately filed for eviction. Mr. J contacted us as his 3-generation family faced eviction. His father had significant health issues and was on dialysis. We quickly learned the landlord was unwilling to negotiate, even though Mr. J had caught up on the rent by the time of his eviction hearing. Now, with an eviction on his record for the first time, it was very difficult for him to find housing in a highly competitive housing environment.
Buying time to rebuild its “renter profile,” we helped the family move into a short-term rental. Mr. J. agreed to participate in our “Keys to Good Tenancy Program” funded by Family Promise USA. Along with tenant rights and responsibility training “KEYS” provided Mr. J. a small monthly rent subsidy, and participation in our new Rental Risk Pool. $25,000 risk pool backstops worthy tenants completing the KTGT course, and provides a guarantee for landlords wary of renting to those with an eviction or bad credit rating.
With the risk pool and completion of “KEYS” Mr. J reached out to landlords with FPP endorsing him as a responsible tenant. As per the training, Mr. J made a packet with all his documentation and a cover letter stating the reason behind his eviction and why he was a good applicant. His efforts paid off when he found a long-term rental near his father’s dialysis. FPP assisted with the security deposit and the family moved in mid April.
Friday, April 29, 2022 11:59 AM Dear Anita, I would like to thank you and Abigail for your patience, kindness, wisdom, professionalism and leadership skills during this past three months. I am so grateful to be part of that wonderful community. People who believe in humanity, integrity, philanthropy. You are doing a great job helping people in need. I would love to use my language skills, as a professional interpreter just in case you'll need a French, Haitian Creole Interpreter or Spanish. I am pretty sure you are dealing with different ethnicity, culture and languages. Please let me know anytime l am ready to offer a couple of hours a week. Once again l thank you for your time, help, professionalism and most importantly the RESPECT you showed to everyone throughout the process. Have great weekend! Mr. J
