Delia Gets Help

A year ago Delia asked for help because she’d been served an eviction notice – she owed three month’s back rent plus the current month’s rent. She was behind on her utilities, too. 

She was 58 when her significant other died, and her own health was so poor that employment was not an option. So with only her small, fixed income to live on and a lot of debt, she wasn’t making ends meet. Delia’s family couldn’t help, and she had no savings or other resources to repair this situation, so she was faced with losing her home. 

After Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) caught her up on her rent and utilities, Delia was referred to the housing agency to apply for Section 8 rental assistance. This was because Delia was paying over 50% of her income towards rent. While waiting for Section 8, HPRP provided temporary rental assistance, and we worked with Delia on a credit repair plan. 

It took many months, but eventually Delia paid off her outstanding debts – hurray! We just heard that after a year of waiting, Delia has been approved for Section 8 rental assistance – she will only be paying 1/3 of her income towards rent. With no debts and a housing voucher Delia will now be able to make ends meet. So, with her housing now stabilized Delia has been exited from the HPRP program as a success.
                                                     -Sue Gillett HPRP Coordinator