With #GivingTuesday coming on December 1, NLIHC encourages you to donate to your local homeless services, shelter and affordable housing providers and to the NLIHC state partners supporting them. These groups are working on the front lines to ensure people experiencing homelessness and those on the brink remain stably housed and safe during the pandemic. These nonprofits are saving lives.
People without homes—and the organizations serving them—are struggling with tremendous challenges and overwhelming needs. People experiencing homelessness, often seniors, people with disabilities and/or other underlying medical conditions living in congregate settings, are unable to isolate, quarantine, and recover, and outbreaks of coronavirus among the homeless population can be devastating. Shelters need resources to obtain more space—hotels, sprung structures—or to build new space to separate out the most vulnerable people and allow those exposed to coronavirus to self-quarantine.
In addition to those who are homeless, the lowest-income renters – also often seniors, people with disabilities and/or underlying conditions - face eviction and homelessness when current protections expire. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 8 million of the lowest-income renters struggled to keep the roof over their heads, spending more than half of their incomes on housing. They were one financial emergency away from eviction and possible homelessness. For many, coronavirus and the lost hours, lost jobs, or sickness that result represent that financial emergency. The nonprofit affordable housing providers who serve these individuals and families, and those who advocate on their behalf with decision-makers, are also facing daunting challenges during the pandemic.
On #GivingTuesday this year, seek out the homeless services, shelter and affordable housing providers and advocates in your community and support their work. Your contribution during this crisis will help them serve people without homes and keep them safe, provide low-income renters short-term rental assistance, provide legal services to help people avoid eviction, and much more.
One way you can help is by donating to your NLIHC state homelessness and housing coalition partners who are supporting local providers and are advocating for federal, state, and local decision makers to meet the dire needs of people experiencing homelessness and low-income renters during the pandemic.
Find your NLIHC state partner at: https://bit.ly/2W8dnRX