Like the St. Austin community moving mountains to prepare for the big move, Outreach is moving mountains to help our neighbors in need NOT to have to move or have their utilities disconnected! The City of Austin resumed utility disconnections last week. On August 1, the eviction moratorium will be lifted for the first time since the pandemic started. Outreach has responded by increasing our rental assistance to $350 per household and by paying as much as we can on utility bills - thanks to extra Austin Energy funds!
Here are some of our stories of Good News!
A husband and wife had to choose between their 2 overdue utility accounts when they applied to Outreach since we normally only assist with one bill. We ended up having enough grant funds to pay the entire balance on both accounts, almost $2,000! When we confirmed we could cover both bills, the wife declared, "¡Bendito sea Dios!" (Blessed be God!)
A guest in subsidized housing who is experiencing food insecurity received food resources and 2 months' worth of rental assistance from Outreach, giving her a little breathing room this summer.
Outreach and SVdP worked together to pay down the water bill of a woman with 4 kids so that she could get on a payment arrangement and not have her water turned off. This single mom started a new job this week after being without work since March 2020.
Another mom of school-aged children had to stop working recently because she tested positive for COVID. Rental assistance from Outreach is helping her navigate temporarily not working, and she plans to look for a higher paying job when her doctor says she can go back to work.