P-3290

Covid-19 - Reduce Homelessness

Description

Financing

Documents

Photos

History Logs

Project Description

Country: USA

Location: Northern Colorado

Total Budget: $9,000

Area of Focus: Community economic development

Activity Type: Community Development: Disaster Recovery

Summary: Rent assistance for people affected by Covid-19 issues in Larimer County, Colorado, USA


The Rotary Club of Fort Collins - Breakfast, because of this Covid-19 crisis, will provide $5,000 to Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) to reduce homelessness and home displacement in Northern Colorado. We are asking the District 5440 Grant Committee to provide a matching grant of $4,000. The $9,000 in this District Grant request will provide a minimum of 12 months of rental assistance in Larimer County, Colorado.

SPECIAL NOTE: We understand the District Grant Committee is suggesting the Rotary Club of Fort Collins - Breakfast (RCFCB) provide the total sum of $9,000 to N2N upon acceptance of this District Grant proposal. This is with the understanding that the District Grant committee will reimburse the RCFCB the full $4,000 matching grant sum on or shortly after July 1, 2020.

Neighbor to Neighbor's Mission Statement: Neighbor to Neighbor envisions communities where everyone has opportunity and access to a stable home because a home is the foundation for success. Annually, N2N secures stable housing for over 5,000 local individuals by preventing homelessness and displacement, providing budget education, youth programs, homeownership education, and by operating affordable apartments for families and individuals.

The demonstrated human and financial need: Four hundred and two households have requested rent assistance in April 2020. 160 Households have received April rent assistance, totaling $105,685 (Previous average distribution = $19,000 to 56 households in Larimer County per month.) Average assistance = $660/household ($750 max per household allowed). One hundred and seventy-nine more households are pending for April or May assistance.

Programs to meet the need: Neighbor to Neighbor is the lead eviction prevention provider in Northern Colorado. In response to dramatically increased demand caused by Covid-19, N2N plans to distribute $130,000 or more in emergency rent assistance each month for the foreseeable future. To meet growing need and demand, N2N quickly implemented the following: (1) Expedited program processes including launch of an online application for assistance on March 31; (2) Increased staff from 3 to 5 counselors including bilingual staff; (3) Provision of rent assistance disbursements ranging from $500-$750/household depending on need.

How do people qualify for assistance: N2N's emergency rent assistance service is accessible 24-7 with an online application, followed by a response within 1-2 days from N2N counseling staff, and streamlined processes to confirm need and mail checks, written directly to landlords. To qualify for N2N assistance, households must provide the following: (1) Photo ID; (2) Copy of current lease agreement; (3) One month's worth of most recent pay stubs, or most recent income verification statement

N2N is also able to provide assistance to undocumented households, depending on funding availability. Households must have income below 80% of area median income. Current average income of applicants is 18% area median income.

N2N's focus is on quickly deploying assistance to as many households in need as possible, to divert further crisis caused by housing displacement. If households become displaced due to unexpected loss of income, their path to stability becomes exponentially longer due to low vacancy rates, wait lists for housing, and added stress on physical and emotional health of eviction and displacement.

How does N2N determine how much a family receives? N2N rent assistance is prioritized for families and individuals without other resources to pay rent. In alignment with national best practices, N2N follows a diversion model, which identifies other possible solutions for households before providing case assistance. As related to Covid-19 response, households will be asked what other resources they have available to help cover rent such as unemployment and/or loans from family members. Due to the magnitude of this crisis, significant gaps still remain in paying rent, even after exploring information supports. Average N2N rental assistance distributed per household is $660 per month and the maximum distribution per household is $750 per month.

How will N2N spend $9,000 from the District Grant for District 5440? With funds from the Rotary Club of Fort Collins - Breakfast, N2N will provide emergency rent assistance to prevent eviction, which will also improve the housing stability, economic health and security for households at greatest risk.

How quickly can N2N meet a person's/family's needs? Once the brief online application is completed and verification documentation provided to N2N by the client, N2N processes a rent check directly to the landlord within 2-3 days.

Who does N2N give the funds to? Landlord.

How does N2N ensure the funds go where they need to go? N2N receives a copy of the leases and addresses and mails rent checks directly to the landlord listed on the lease.

Renter Follow Ups: Rent assistance programs have been shown to effectively prevent eviction, and in many cases, homelessness. N2N conducts follow up calls with eviction prevention clients three months after services and again at 6 months after services.

Measures of success: Over 90% of N2N rent assistance recipients report continued stable housing 6 months after receiving N2N assistance. N2N is a long-time service provider in northern Colorado, celebrating 50 years of housing stability services this year. N2N has a long history of partnership with government entities and non-profit organizations to provide coordinated service. In 2019, 92% of partners responding to N2N's anonymous survey, felt N2N's impact in the community ranked in the top two levels of "significant" or "high", demonstrating the highest possible impact.

Involvements by Rotarians:

1. A staff member from Neighbor to Neighbor will present a program to our club describing how the funds helped reduce homelessness in Larimer County during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2. The Breakfast club will prepare an article for the District newsletter and/or the Coloradoan newspaper describing how this project helped reduce homelessness in Larimer County.

Project Contact Person

District: 5440

Rotary Club of: Fort Collins-Breakfast

Primary Contact: Bob Waltermire

Email: bobw@totalspeed.com

Project Status

Completed
This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by the district leadership. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners.

Project listed for the 2020-21 Rotary Year.

Proposed Financing

Existing Contributions Towards This Project

Date

Cash

DDF

Total

Fort Collins-Breakfast (5440)

30-Apr-20

$5,000

$4,000

$9,000

Total

$5,000

$4,000

$9,000

Project Supporting Documents

Project Photos


There are no photos yet for this project.
Go to the administration page to upload photos.

History Log Entries

30-Apr-20

by Bob Waltermire

System Entry: Creation of project page.

1-May-20

by Randall Looper

Bob,

Please upload a detailed budget of where the income is coming from and where the expenses are going. This budget needs to be able to be backed up by receipts when the project is complete.

Also, One of the grant requirements is to have Rotarians involvement. Please add how FCB Rotarians will be involved in this project to the description area.

4-May-20

by Bob Waltermire

System Entry: Project sent for club signatures.

4-May-20

by Bob Waltermire

System Entry: Project signed by Bob Waltermire.

4-May-20

System Entry

System Entry: Project signed by Ann Bedient.

4-May-20

System Entry

System Entry: Project signed by Tim Cochran.

5-May-20

by Randall Looper

System Entry: Project approved by the District Approval Committee.

7-Jul-20

by Bill Kehl

System Entry: Check for DDF payment issued by Foundation Treasurer.

9-Jul-20

by Bob Waltermire

July 9, 2020 Brooke Cunningham, Philanthropy Manager for Neighbor to Neighbor, made a 30-minute presentation to the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins - Breakfast as part of the requirements for this District Grant. A news article and final report will follow.

27-Jul-20

by Randall Looper

Bob,

Just wanted to make sure you have received the check for this grant.If you have not received it yet please let me know.

12-Oct-20

by Randall Looper

Bob,

Please complete a quarterly history log update on the current status of this grant.

13-Oct-20

by Bob Waltermire

There are two requirements for this District Grant:

1. A speaker from Neighbor to Neighbor present to our club. On July 9, 2020 Brooke Cunningham, Philanthropy Manager, from Neighbor to Neighbor gave a presentation to our club at our weekly Zoom meeting.

2. Article in the Coloradoan or District Newsletter. In progress.

9-Nov-20

by Bob Waltermire

Receipts have been uploaded into Documents. One receipt for $4,000 from the District and one receipt for $5,000 from the Rotary Club of Fort Collins - Breakfast. This completes the receipts that are required. The article for Coloradoan/District Newsletter is in progress (this is the final requirement for the District match).

9-Nov-20

by Randall Looper

Bob,

Once the article is submitted please complete the District Final Report found on the district website. Fill it out, download it to sign it and than upload it to the documents area.

10-Nov-20

by Bob Waltermire

Kellie Kegerreis said the required article (see in Documents) will be published in the December District Newsletter. I have also applied to the Coloradoan newspaper.

10-Nov-20

by Bob Waltermire

The final report has been submitted.

10-Nov-20

by Bob Waltermire

My contact at the Fort Collins Coloradoan said they are not publishing this type of article at this time. They may include this information in an article at the end of the year as part of a summary of yearly events.

10-Nov-20

by Randall Looper

System Entry: Project has been implemented and final report uploaded.

10-Nov-20

by Randall Looper

System Entry: Final report approved by the District Approval Committee.

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