Rental and Mortgage Assistance Available NOW Due to COVID

I need your help to make sure we can help as many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones as possible. It is going to be a long winter: let’s keep people in their homes. This is my story why it’s important to help.

My apartment in Columbia Heights. I often had $50 to my name.

My first apartment was in Columbia Heights. At the time, I was a glossy 18-year-old brimming with optimism and good intentions. I had just graduated from high school in June with acceptance to the University of Minnesota to study Music Performance. I moved in during August with a roommate to share housing costs, convinced my plans for life would happen exactly as planned.

As it turned out, life doesn’t always happen according to plan. Struggling to stay in college and pay my bills, I eventually had to choose. Too proud to admit defeat, I chose to stay independent and work. For years I worked two, often three jobs to stay afloat. I cleaned my apartment building, worked in retail, waitressed—whatever work a determined 18-year-old could find I did. It was common to have $50 to my name from paycheck to paycheck, a bare fridge and worry sitting in my gut like a stone.

But I wouldn’t trade this part of my life for anything. It taught me there is honor in all work and what it means to struggle financially.

In 2020, there are many stressors. During the pandemic, there are countless people and families who are struggling financially like never before. For many in our communities of color, working multiple low paying jobs has always been the norm, and those same neighbors are now also dealing with the reality of high exposure to the virus. Our brightest entrepreneurs have worked hard for years growing their own business and are now faced with the grim conclusion of having to close shop. Demands on our non-profits have increased tenfold, with a significant decrease in their usual funding mechanisms. And others who have been lucky to have stable jobs may find themselves helping loved ones stay afloat. There are lots of reasons for serious financial stress right now. Staying in your home may be one of your biggest worries.