December 15, 2020 – Thanks to a generous contribution by the Ballance Foundation, The United Way and Decatur Township are working with local landlords to provide rent assistance for families struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Debbie Bogle, Executive Director of the United Way of Decatur and Macon County, The Ballance Foundation’s gift of $36,000 will be used to directly work with landlords to negotiate payment options for those behind on rent.
The United Way has been working with the Decatur Landlords Association to spread the word of the program. However, the option to participate is up to each individual landlord and is completely voluntary. If they chose to participate, they will work directly with the United Way to work out possible payment options. For instance, if a tenant is behind by 3 months, the landlord could negotiate a payment of 2 of the months from the fund if they agree to forgive the 3rd month. Additional examples include an overall discount on the portion of rent of which the tenant is behind.
Bogle stresses that each agreement is worked out on a case-by-case basis to come to an agreement that works for the landlord and the tenant.
“When we contacted the Deacatur Landlord Association, they were quick to jump in to find a way to help these families. Many landlords are small businesses themselves and are struggling as well, but they are looking for avenues to help their tenants.”
Bogle added that the need is tremendous right now and this gift is a huge step in making sure the community can care for an underserved population known as ALICE families. ALICE stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed. Many ALICE families prior to COVID were living paycheck to paycheck when they lost their job, or their hours were cut. ALICE families often represent workers in fields such as food service, retail, tourism and hospitality. The largest issue with ALICE families is that they may not have had to seek services or help before and don’t know where to turn for help.
“It is so much harder to pull a family out of poverty once they have already slipped into it. If we can keep these ALICE families from falling into poverty, they stand a much greater chance of recovering from the effects of this pandemic.”
The fund does have restrictions. In order to be considered, renters must have been financially affected by COVID, such as being laid off or underemployed due to the pandemic. In addition, the tenants must have been up to date on their rent prior to March or from the date they became unemployed or underemployed.
Landlords who are wishing to participate can contact Debbie Bogle at the United Way at dbogle@uwdecatur.org .
Individual tenants who are struggling to pay rent due to the COVID pandemic are urged to contact DMCOC at (217) 428-0155 or contact the City of Decatur at 217-619-9108 to ask about Dove’s Financial Assistance program for renters.
