Neighbor to Neighbor providing emergency rent assistance
March 19, 2020 –
Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N), a local nonprofit providing housing stability services in Larimer County for 50 years, seeks the community’s help in ramping up eviction prevention assistance for local households unable to pay their rent due to the financial impact of Covid-19. Each year, N2N serves over 5,000 local individuals by preventing homelessness, providing budget education, youth programs, homeownership education, and affordable apartments for families and individuals.
Neighbor to Neighbor assists people in housing crises to identify and secure affordable housing. N2N’s Homelessness Prevention programs improve the housing stability, economic health and security of people at imminent risk of homelessness. According to the United Way of Larimer County 2-1-1 data, emergency rent assistance is a number one need of callers. Rent assistance programs effectively prevent eviction, and in many cases, homelessness.
According to latest data, 18% of employees in the United States have already had their employment reduced or terminated due to the impact of Covid-19. Even if the government issues a cash disbursement to each adult, it will not cover rent costs for employees experiencing 1-3 months of lost wages. The average rent in the Fort Collins/Loveland market during 3rd quarter 2019 was $1,403 each month.
N2N is expecting a dramatic increase in rental assistance as economic conditions worsen. One business owner shared the following: “My staff need help. Our business is way down and their other jobs have decreased or shut down as well.” Kelly Evans, Neighbor to Neighbor Executive Director added “This is such a stressful time for business owners, employees, everyone. Through years of providing emergency rent assistance to the community, we’ve seen that a little help with rent assistance for struggling residents really goes a long way in preserving homes and stability for our neighbors.”
Neighbor is the lead provider of homelessness and eviction prevention in Northern Colorado, distributing over $220,000 in emergency assistance to over 600 households annually. To make a donation, visit www.n2n.org. To inquire about applying for emergency rent assistance for your household, call N2N at 970-488-2383.
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