Some behind the scenes action from our client family video, created for our luncheon. Click the image to watch the video!
Our Stable Home program is changing in 2020, but it won’t be slowing down
Stable Home, our rental assistance program, grew tremendously in 2019 in terms of households served. We are extremely proud that we never had to shut off services for any amount of time and it’s all because of our donors and advocates who rose to the challenge of keeping the program going.
As of the end of November, 190 households have received Stable Home funds and we project to finish the year well over 225. That will be over a 120% increase in households served compared to 2018.
Why the dramatic increase? There are several factors, but the main one is that the need for these kinds of services on the Eastside just continue to increase. Other agencies that offer rental assistance will often designate a set amount each month and once they exceed that, they can no longer offer services.
We are so grateful to those who have gone to bat for this program. Many of our supporters in the Eastside faith community have made special donations to Stable Home when informed of the program’s growth.
We just recently found out that King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci and her staff advocated for us to be included in the newest supplemental budget and we will be receiving $25,500 before year-end so we can continue to prevent folks from losing their homes.
We’re fortunate to be able to meet these needs in our community, but even with the increase in financial support, it has strained our resources. This is why we are changing our Stable Home policy slightly in 2020 to be more in line with our mission of serving families.
Effective January 1, 2020, the Stable Home program will focus on serving families with minor dependents only. We realize this decision will mean we no longer serve certain applicants. To this end, we are communicating with our partner organizations to inform potential applicants and identify resources to fill this gap.
Despite these changes and challenges, we have no plans of slowing down in 2020 and we hope you’ll continue to join us in our efforts to keep people warm and safe in their homes.