COVID Housing Grant Program Centers BIPOC Communities and The Power of Human Connection

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by: Heather Wallace, Better Health Together - Spokane, Washington

According to the Pew Research Center, 49% of low-income adults report they or someone in their household have had reduced wages or job loss since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] Although the shutdowns are over, and many public health interventions have been lifted, thousands of Spokane residents still struggle to pay for their basic household expenses like rent and utilities.

In 2021, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars to cities to provide housing and utility assistance to citizens financially impacted by COVID.  This grant program sought to ensure residents who were not being served by traditional programs would be prioritized and administrative barriers minimized. The City of Spokane put out an RFP for an organization to manage the project and administer the funds to community organizations serving BIPOC and other traditionally underserved populations (LGBTQ2S+, justice-involved, Indigenous, those living in nontraditional housing arrangements, etc.).  Better Health Together was selected to manage the $2 million dollar project in Spokane.

Better Health Together has partnered with five community organizations: The Carl Maxey Center, PICA (Pacific Islander Community Organization), Spectrum Center, Health and Justice Recovery Alliance, and the American Indian Community Center. These organizations have strong ties and trusted relationships with members of their community. Through their work, they can identify families that have been impacted by COVID and need financial assistance to stabilize their housing situation.

The COVID housing fund pays for 6 total months of rent, including deposit/move-in expenses if applicable, or mortgage, Avista, and City of Spokane utilities.  The partner organizations have served more than 250 households to date! Many of these households had been facing imminent eviction.

One family who was supported by this project included two young brothers, 20 and 21, who had grown up in a family filled with violence.  The boys were both working but living in their car because they were unable to secure housing.  Both had endured COVID and lost jobs in the last two years. They reached out to the Health and Justice Recovery Alliance for support in getting their younger sister out of foster care.  With the help of the COVID housing funding and a landlord willing to work with the young men (who had no rental history), HJRA was able to fund the deposit and 6 months of rent. The three siblings were able to reunite.

The project is coming to an end as the funding is depleted, but the ripple effect of what housing stability can do for families will continue into the future.