Families facing eviction in Washtenaw County could be given a lifeline. A reallocation of funds by Ann Arbor City Council is providing $305,000 to help keep families in their homes.
Ever since the federal COVID Emergency Rental Assistance program ended last fall, there has been a 20 percent increase in family homelessness in the county. This funding would be used to help people who are facing eviction make those past due rental payments.
Amanda Carlisle, the executive director of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, says this not only helps families, but lessens the burden on the homelessness safety net.
“Quite frankly, we don’t have enough emergency shelter to say yes to everyone who needs shelter immediately. And so, we need to have avenues to keep people out of the homeless system of care, and one of the best ways to do that is to keep evictions from happening in the first place.”
Carlisle says another vital part of this assistance is by helping people make rent, it keeps them from having an eviction on their record. When that occurs, it can be very difficult to secure future housing.
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