The COVID-19 pandemic has left a dramatic mark on many households’ financial stability, leaving them unable to pay their rent and putting them at risk of losing their home.
“No one should be without an address and a door to open and close,” believes Ms. Shannon Crippen, a rent Collections Specialist for a nearby apartment community and a witness to these financial hardships.
One resident’s experience with GHC stood out so much to Ms. Crippen that she wrote a note of thanks to our agency and the Housing Counselor who worked with the resident. You can read the letter for yourself below!
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Good Afternoon Ms. Lawhorn,
My name is Shannon and I work as a collection specialist at a community in Brown Summit, NC. I want to share with you the experience that one of our residents had with you all this month. The resident gave up all hope of getting someone to assist her in what seemed like the darkest hour of her life. Since the Covid-19 came into our world, no blessing/luck was coming her way. I gave here a couple names of agencies and programs to reach out to that may can help her. The resident was discouraged and was about to give up one day. [A resident] called me and while we were speaking said that she called [other agencies] but got no return. I asked who did you call, and when the resident replied and did not say the Greensboro Housing Coalition, I said you have to call them.
Fast forward to when the resident called back. She was so excited. The Greensboro Housing Coalition restored her faith and gave her a bag full of hope, and this was prior to getting the approval. She kept repeating how pleasant the intake was and how the Counselor did not make it feel like an interrogation that makes people not want to ask for assistance. There was no “shame feeling” through the resident’s process and the results were fast.
I was contacted every step of the way and was made aware of the approval too. I was in disbelief basically due to all the negative feedback that other residents share with me about their experience from the other local agencies. Some of them were not called back, or were not qualified, leaving the resident baffled. We were told people that were affected by Covid-19 (laid off, decrease in hours to name a few) did not qualify. So, being I had never heard of GSOHC, I, too was so excited for the residents and pleased to meet such a dedicated group of people doing a rewarding job during this challenging time in the world. You guys were right to the point and no excuses or delays. On point.
To whom this needs to be shared with, thank you for all that you do for our people and please continue to bless our people with whatever is in your power to be.
Thank you – We appreciate you; I thank you – I appreciate you.
Shannon Crippen- Collection Specialist
#GSOHCisSavingHomes