COVID-19 has blindsided individuals, families, and entire communities. Local schools closed their doors and summer employers had a dramatic reduction in demand for their services. Household incomes were suddenly lost.
GHC has experienced Housing Counselors to help families and individuals facing urgent needs. Denise Willie Gray has been a Housing Counselor on GHC’s Homeless & Rental Housing Counseling Team for over 5 years. Her background in social work and her experience working with families in crises has equipped her to provide supportive guidance to GHC clients.
“As a social worker – that’s my background – I have a lot of empathy. I do the work I do because I would want someone to help me if I were in that situation,” says Denise.
One client, a single mother of two young kids, was used to taking care of things herself. During the school year she worked at Guilford County Schools and when school let out for the summer, she supplemented her income with a seasonal job.
COVID-19 has significantly impacted the financial stability of households across our city and the nation. Individuals who were once stable and able to afford to pay their rent or bills on time have now lost income and have been forced to seek assistance.
“I’ve always worked for everything I have – everything,” said the client.
Like many others in her situation, this client filed for unemployment. She did not qualify for unemployment benefits because, technically, she was not considered out of work as she would be returning to the role in the fall.
Many school system employees work on a 10-month annual contract, and some supplement their income with additional jobs in the summer months. However, due to COVID-19, many businesses were forced to close or substantially reduce staff, and many stopped hiring altogether.
Without the option to work her seasonal job and without any unemployment support, the client wouldn’t be able to pay her August rent.
“I’d never been in this kind of crisis,” she said. “Ever.”
A glimmer of hope emerged when she learned about the Greensboro Housing Coalition and the CARES Act funds distributed by the City of Greensboro were available to provide rent and utility assistance to City residents. She was connected to Denise, who told her that she qualified for August assistance.
Even so, the client would still need to figure out how to pay her September rent on time. Schools were opening in the fall, but she wouldn’t get her first paycheck until mid-September. Meanwhile, rent was due on the first of the month, and that wouldn’t qualify for assistance due to funding restrictions. By the time she got her paycheck, eviction could become a very real possibility.
“Ms. Denise held my hand basically the whole way, and she kept trying to motivate me,” said the client. “She was like my cheerleader.”
Denise gave her advice on how to plan for September rent and, together, they went over her finances and developed a budgeting plan to help her re-stabilize. Denise pursued options for providing her case with additional assistance.
The next week, the client got a call from Denise with good news. She had been approved to receive September rent assistance through another funding source. The phone went quiet except for the sound of crying.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” the client said with shock. It overwhelmed her to know that there was help for someone in her situation. “I felt relief, like so much had been lifted off of me.”
That’s what GHC is here for.
“To make one less worry for someone who is trying to keep things going, to help people stay afloat and be able to stay in their homes…that to me is a job well done,” Denise says. “That’s what we do.”