This past summer, Austin City Lutherans provided rent assistance to support 73 households. Through this effort, our fourth rent assistance program, we distributed more than $76,000 to support individuals and families who, for a variety of reasons, needed a helping hand this summer to stay in their domiciles. Fifty-four of these households include children, and of these, twenty-two are led by single moms.
Our third rent assistance program, carried out last summer also at Bread For All Food Pantry, distributed a bit more than $55,000 to thirty-five recipients. This year, however, we had double the number of recipients. Our application process requires potential recipients to submit a rental contract and to explain their specific situation of need. As we know, people who do not have the “safety net” of wealth (whether their own or that of a supportive family system) can be put into a perilous situation by any type of disruption. From our applicants, we heard of unsteady work situations, acute or lingering illnesses, work accidents (without any access to workers’ compensation), and of family breakups where moms became the sole providers for their children.
Since our foray into rent assistance programming at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, ACL has now distributed more than $187,000 to some 125 recipients.
The gratitude from recipients that came our way this past summer, whether face-to-face, or via text or email was heartfelt and touching: “You and your organization are angels”; “A thousand thanks for your dedication”; “Thank you so much, this was a great blessing”; “You don’t know how grateful I am for this help . . . and I have to give thanks to God also.” As you can imagine, these comments are simply a few of the many that came back to us.
Austin continues to be a difficult place to live economically for those who do not have an adequate safety net in terms of job stability, health care, or generational wealth. On behalf of ACL’s board of directors, thanks to the numerous donors who made this program a great success this summer through their generous and compassionate spirits. We again maintain that rent assistance is one of the best methods to prevent homelessness, and we’ll continue this program going forward.